PrestosuchusNational Museum of Nature and Science
HerrerasaurusNational Museum of Nature and Science
Evolution of Saurischian Dinosaurs
Saurischians diverged into Sauropodomorpha and Theropoda. The Sauropodomorpha evolved into herbivorous, quadrupedal dinosaurs which included the largest ever terrestrial animals.
Tyrannosaurus rexNational Museum of Nature and Science
CitipatiNational Museum of Nature and Science
DeinonychusNational Museum of Nature and Science
Evolution of Ornithischian Dinaosaurs
Ornithischian dinosaurs were all herbivorous and originally bipedal. Some remained bipedal, others became secondarily quadrupedal. Some developed bony armor around the body and the end of the tail. Others sported horns on the face, and spike and plates on the back of the skull.
Triceratops (Mounted skeleton)National Museum of Nature and Science
Triceratops (Original specimen)National Museum of Nature and Science
PachycephalosaurusNational Museum of Nature and Science
PachycephalosaurusNational Museum of Nature and Science
Stegosaurus and ScolowaurusNational Museum of Nature and Science
The last day of the mesozoic
An asteroid collided with Earth some 66 million years ago, creating a vast firestorm enveloping North America that was followed by a drastic worldwide drop in temperature. Related environmental changes brought about a rapid mass extinction of many forms of life across the globe. This included most dinosaur species, but a branch that we call birds survived and continues to evolve today.
K/Pg
The K/Pg boundary layer is heavily enriched in iridium and also contains shocked quartz crystals, physical evidence of the asteroid impact. There is a dramatic increase of fern spores directly above the boundary layer, indicating that ferns quickly resettled terrain devastated by the catastrophe ahead of other plant life. We do not find any articulated non-avian dinosaur specimens above the boundary.
This exhibition is based on Global Gallery B1F : Evolution of Life -Exploring the Mysteries of Dinosaur Evolution
Photo : NAKAJIMA Yusuke