Dinosaur Hall
It's one of the first things visitors see when they enter The Academy of Natural Sciences. Measuring a total of 42 feet in length and weighing-in at an estimated 8 tons, Giganotosaurus may have been the largest predator to ever walk the Earth.
This impressive animal is the first of the many dinosaurs and other Mesozoic creatures you'll encounter in Dinosaur Hall. More than 30 species are represented, about half of which are full skeletal mounts. Find out more about the species in Dinosaur Hall.
In addition to the skeletons, visitors can view dinosaur eggs, footprints, dinosaur sculptures, murals, paleontologist tools, a life-sized model showing the internal anatomy of a Stegosaurus and a green-screen video studio where visitors can project their own images into a world full of dinosaurs.
One of the most popular attractions in Dinosaur Hall is The Big Dig. This is a hands-on exhibit where visitors can hunt for dinosaur bones.
Another special attraction is the Fossil Prep Lab where fossils collected from remote localities are carefully prepared for study.
A Shared History
The study of dinosaurs and the Academy have a long history together. The first report of dinosaur fossils in North America was made in 1856 by Academy scientist Joseph Leidy. These fossils consisted of a few teeth collected from the Judith River Formation in Montana.
Two years later, Leidy reported on the skeleton of Hadrosaurus foulkii, a large dinosaur discovered in New Jersey. Not only was Hadrosaurus the most complete dinosaur skeleton then known, it was the first to show that some dinosaurs walked on their hind legs. You can see this skeleton in Dinosaur Hall.