Johnny McDonald | Downtown News
Dinosaurs
From a flesh-eating Tyrannosaurus Rex to the plant-munching Iguanodon, the Natural History Museum serves up a Mesozoic era dinosaur exhibit titled Dino Jaws.
A better description might be: Who’s coming to dinner?
This animated replication of behemoths that roamed earth between 240 million and 65 million years ago reveals what and how they ate … even the mess they left behind.
It’s brought together with intriguing fossil evidence, hands-on exhibits, scientific insights and 10 lifelike and spectacular animatronics.
“We see dinosaurs depicted in popular culture nearly every day, but don’t often think about dinosaurs as real, living animals with biological processes that every other animal alive today experience,” said Kesler Randall, paleontologist and local curator of the Dino Jaws exhibition.
“Feeding behaviors can be determined by jaw muscle and variation of teeth. The exhibit focuses on understandings from discoveries of feathered dinosaurs in the Mongolian Gobi Desert‘s Flaming Cliffs in the last 10 years.
“Researchers found beautifully preserved skeletons and good body outlines,” Randall said.
The timing at the museum couldn’t have been better since Hollywood has virtually pushed the “panic button” by retooling the Jurassic Park film into a three-dimension thriller where these giants appear to jump from the screen.
We walked through a make believe land of protruding, teeth-snapping and roaring dinosaurs while others are depicted amidst a timeless habitat, ecological conditions researchers believe might have existed.
Museum visitors will come face-to-face with the plant-eating Iguanodon and Euoplocephalus.
The exhibition introduces visitors to the fascinating, and sometimes messy, subject of dinosaurs and their food. Dino Jaws, which has never before been seen in the United States, runs through Sept. 12.
To get a better feel of things, the curious can even undertake a “virtual dig” to unearth fossilized teeth, claws or stomach contents using specialist tools. The dig will be based on the discovery of Baryonyx – a giant fish-eating dinosaur – found just outside London.
Randall pointed out that many new types of dinosaurs, mammals and reptiles emerged during the Jurassic, including the plated dinosaurs and the Sauropods — heavy, long-necked beasts that walked on four legs. There were also large meat-eating Theropods.
Reconstruction has been led by using skin fragments and feathers similar to small young birds or chicks.
“The extinction event of 65 million years ago was somewhat selective and not all the animals on earth died,” Randall explained. “There are a number of theories why they became extinct but the meteor impact created a perfect storm for them to die. There also was a large amount of volcanism going on in Asia.
“You also had a drying up of a sea way in the middle of the continent where the Kansas plains are now. That had provided a large habitat for these animals.”
Theropods descendants are modern birds.
“There’s a number of hypothesis about birds and the origin of flight,” Randall continued. “It is believed birds climbed trees at first, utilizing feathers or hairs only to stay warm.”
This exhibition was originally developed by The Natural History Museum in London. Support for the San Diego exhibition is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
And elsewhere around the Park – Retiring Executive Director Jeffrey Kirsch will be honored May 11 for his 30 years of leadership at the Centro de Ciencias Reuben H. Fleet. Kirsch is former chair of the Giant Screen Cinema Association and former president of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership. He is recognized as a pioneer and major contributor to the production and exhibition of IMAX films … Buzz Aldrin who, together with Neil Armstrong, became the first to land on the moon with Apollo 11, will be at the Air & Space Museum May 22 for a book signing of his book Mission to Mars, co-authored by Leonard David … the annual Old Globe Theatre honors theatrical auditions for high school students is scheduled for May 4-5 and final performances are set for May 20. Winners will advance to New York City for added scholarships.
After an award winning, 38-year sports-writing career with the San Diego Union and authoring three books, Johnny McDonald now considers writing a hobby. He enjoys covering aspects of the port district, convention center, Balboa Park, zoo, and stories with a historical bent. You can reach him at [email protected].
