Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, March 15, 2024
Adults and children are often fascinated by the giants that once roamed our planet, dominating the landscapes with their immense size and power.
A special prehistoric journey through time is ready to transport visitors millions of years back into Earth’s ancient past, with deadly prehistoric predators, replica fossils, and a life-sized cast of the largest Tyrannosaurus rex discovered will be on display at Waikato Museum next month.
About the Exhibition
‘Six Extinctions,’ produced by Australia’s Gondwana Studios is one of the largest exhibitions ever undertaken by Waikato Museum, utilising galleries across two floors of the building.
It will be on display from Friday, April 12, 2024, to July 21, 2024, and advance tickets can be purchased online now.
“We cannot wait to share this phenomenal exhibition with Hamilton and visitors from further afield. Whether you are a T. rex fan or curious about megafauna, Six Extinctions will be a captivating experience. It is the perfect outing for the upcoming school holidays,” said Liz Cotton, Director of Museum and Arts.
Tickets are on sale now for this enthralling exhibition which takes visitors on a journey through 485 million years, meeting the top predators from each geological period and learning what caused their demise.
Earth’s journey through time
As well as the five previous mass extinction events, Six Extinctions also explores the sixth and current extinction crisis, climate change, which is the first caused by a single species, humans.
“The death of the dinosaurs is the most famous extinction, but it is only one of the five catastrophic events that have decimated life on Earth so far. Six Extinctions is an eye-opening experience, and we encourage Hamiltonians to learn more about our planet’s past and what they can do about the current climate crisis,” Ms Cotton said.
The centrepiece of Six Extinctions is the replica of a huge Tyrannosaurus rex known as ‘Scotty’. The skeleton measures 13 meters long by 4 meters high and recreates the most complete fossil of its kind, discovered by palaeontologists in Saskatchewan, Canada in 1991. The life-sized cast represents the Cretaceous period which ended 66 million years ago due to the impact of a 10-kilometer-wide asteroid.
Exhibits to impress
Also featured in the exhibition is ‘Dunkleosteus,’ a giant armoured fish that terrorised the seas with its armoured exterior and formidable jaws and ruled the waters during the Late Devonian period, approximately 360 million years ago. A true titan of the deep seas whose legacy continues to fascinate and inspire to this day, it will be a real treat for all visitors.
‘Inostrancevia,’ a tiger-sized sabre-toothed beast and apex predator of the Permian era will also be on display. This fearsome creature prowled the ancient landscapes over 250 million years ago, during a time when Earth was dominated by bizarre and formidable creatures.
‘Postosuchus,’ a huge crocodile-like carnivorous reptile and a fearsome predator that once roamed the Earth during the Late Triassic period, approximately 230 million years ago will also be on display. This remarkable creature was part of a diverse lineage of reptiles known as archosaurs, which also included ancestors of dinosaurs and crocodiles.
The exhibition will also feature large mural artworks depicting prehistoric life, replica fossils, skeleton and skull casts, and realistic models of extinct animals.
It will be open at Waikato Museum from 12 April to 21 July 2024 and tickets are on sale now.
