The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh announces the completion of a globally unique visitor experience — Dueling Dinosaurs — opening to the public Saturday, April 27.
This combination of high-tech research lab and dynamic exhibit space is the first physical expansion of the Museum in more than a decade. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the Age of Dinosaurs, become familiar with the tools and techniques used by today’s paleontologists, and engage with the scientific team actively researching the iconic tyrannosaur and Triceratops.
Rapidly buried together 67 million years ago, in a part of Montana now called Hell Creek Formation, the Dueling Dinosaurs fossil includes remarkably preserved skeletons of a tyrannosaur and a Triceratops. Because of the rare burial conditions, extraordinary features such as body outlines, skin impressions and other soft tissues, as well as injuries and evidence of interaction (including tyrannosaur teeth embedded in the Triceratops), remain intact. All this will provide museum paleontologists with an unprecedented opportunity for research as they work to remove the two specimens from the surrounding sandstone.
“This fossil is a scientific frontier,” said Lindsay Zanno, Head of Paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and associate research professor at North Carolina State University. “The preservation is phenomenal, and we plan to use every technological innovation available to reveal new information on the biology of the world’s favorite dinosaurs.”
The research will take place inside the SECU DinoLab, the heart of the new expansion. Not only will museum guests be able to enter the lab and talk directly to members of the paleontology team, but live video feeds and regular research updates will be available onsite and online so the public can follow along as paleontologists work to reveal and share their Dueling Dinosaurs discoveries.
“The way we have designed the entire experience — inviting the public to follow the scientific discoveries in real time and participate in the research — will set a new standard for museums,” Zanno added.
To reserve your free timed-entry tickets and to stay up to date about the Museum’s latest paleontological discoveries, visit https://duelingdinosaurs.org/.
About the NC Museum of Natural Sciences
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh (11 and 121 W. Jones St.) is an active research institution that engages visitors of every age and stage of learning in the wonders of science and the natural world. In addition to two downtown buildings showcasing seven floors of world-class exhibits, the Museum runs Prairie Ridge Ecostation, a 45-acre outdoor education and research facility in west Raleigh, as well as satellite facilities in Whiteville, Greenville and Grifton (Contentnea Creek). Our mission is to illuminate the natural world and inspire its conservation. Downtown Raleigh Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. General admission is free. For more information, visit https://www.naturalsciences.org.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit https://www.dncr.nc.gov/.