Tag Archive for: fernbank

EXPLORE ANTARCTICA’S LIVELY PAST IN FERNBANK’S NEWEST EXHIBIT ‘ANTARCTIC DINOSAURS’

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 10/10/21

Opening This Weekend with Special Events, Exhibit to Run Oct. 9, 2021 – Jan. 2, 2022
Museum to also Debut “Dinosaurs of Antarctica’ Film + Welcomes Paleontologist + Paleobotanist from Feature

Antarctica hasn’t always been icy and barren. Around 200 million years ago, it was a lush, temperate region, home to crocodile-sized amphibians and rhinoceros-sized dinosaurs. On Oct. 9, Fernbank Museum’s newest exhibition, ‘Antarctic Dinosaurs,’ will reveal this lost world. Visitors will be able to see and touch real fossils from Antarctica, along with full-sized replicas showing how the dinosaurs and their habitat would have looked during this time.

The exhibition will contain artifacts from both historical and modern expeditions, including the sledge used by one of the first Antarctic adventurers over 100 years ago and the thick red parkas worn by scientists exploring Antarctica today. Visitors will get a sense of what goes into living and working in the coldest spot on earth.

After exploring the science being conducted in Antarctica, guests will discover the fruits of this labor: dinosaurs. With real bones and artifacts on display, guests will get a first-hand look at the most remarkable findings from the icy continent. Along with real artifacts, guests will experience naturalistic dioramas, featuring life-like sculptures of a variety of dinosaurs from Antarctica. These dioramas and sculptures paint an intricate picture of what Antarctica once looked like hundreds of millions of years ago.

The exhibition features four species of dinosaur: the 25-foot-long predator Cryolophosaurus (“frozen crested lizard,” named for the bony ornamentation on its head), the rhino-sized herbivore Glacialisaurus and two new species that haven’t even been scientifically described yet. These new dinosaurs are sauropodomorphs, early relatives of two giant long-necked, four-legged herbivores like Brachiosaurus and titanosaurs.

“This year marks the 20th anniversary of Fernbank’s Giants of the Mesozoic exhibition, so it seems only fitting that we would host another ground-breaking dinosaur exhibition,” said Fernbank’s VP of Programming Bobbi Hohmann. “Antarctic Dinosaurs is a spectacular exhibition that showcases dinosaurs that our visitors have likely never seen before, as well as the extremes scientists go through to make these kinds of amazing discoveries and contributions to science.”

‘Antarctic Dinosaurs’ also comes with interactive elements. As guests make their way through an Antarctic “expedition” they can touch a stone housing real fossils from Antarctica, explore tectonic plates through puzzles, discover the science behind the polar lights and midnight sun and see how the continents once fit together.

Tickets and Visitor Information: ‘Antarctic Dinosaurs’ is included with general admission and is free for Fernbank members. Timed, online tickets are required in advance at FernbankMuseum.org at $20 for adults, $19 for seniors and $18 for children*. To purchase tickets or view pre-visit information, frequently asked questions, safety protocols and more, visit FernbankMuseum.org

‘Antarctic Dinosaurs’ will be on view daily from Saturday, October 9, 2021, through Monday, January 2, 2022, from 10am to 5pm, along with evening hours during Fernbank After Dark** on Oct. 8 (exclusive exhibit preview), Nov. 12 and Dec. 10.

*Tickets not purchased online are $19.95-$21.95 and may not be available due to safety precautions that limit capacity. **Ages 21+ only.

EXPLORE TWO LIVE-ANIMAL EXHIBITS AT FERNBANK THIS SUMMER

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 7/7/21

Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World’ and ‘Nature’s Ninja’ make their way to Fernbank Museum with special guests in tow 

  

Fernbank announces the opening of two new special exhibitions in time for summer. ‘Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World’ and ‘Nature’s Ninjas: Defenses of the Animal Kingdom’ display a vast array of live animals that take guests to almost every corner of the animal world.

Whether exploring the rich and complex lives of crocodiles or discovering the many different defense mechanisms used by animals, guests will be surrounded by live animals throughout the exhibit. Through interpretative panels as well as live and modeled dioramas, guests will learn more about the magnificent animals these two exhibits display. Both exhibits will run from Saturday, June 5 through Monday, September 6, 2021.

Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World 

‘Crocs’ takes guests on an expedition through everything crocodile from their evolutionary history to modern crocodilian biology and even their precarious relationship with humans throughout history. Via a series of dioramas, some living and some modeled, guests are taken on a tour of the world of the crocodile.

Live crocodile species featured in ‘Crocs’ include the shy African Dwarf Crocodile, the endangered Siamese Crocodile and the Slender-snouted Crocodile, found throughout the tropical rainforests of Central America.

Interactive models include Bring a Fossil to Life where guests can create a 3D-animation of a long-extinct croc, Crunch Capacity giving guests the chance to test their strength against a crocodile’s bite force and, Build a Crocodylomorph providing visitors a virtual field notebook to work from to assemble a variety of ancient crocs.

Other exhibit highlights include:

  • Thechampsa skull – The 13-million-year-old jaws of this massive fish-eating crocodylomorph (the group that includes modern crocodilians) is an example of the super-giant crocs of the past.
  • Dwarfs – The delicate preserved skeleton of Hoplosuchus, a tiny insect-eating relative of modern crocs, was a long-legged runner that probably ate insects!
  • Croc Talk – Learn to speak “croc” in under 5 minutes with this interactive station. Activate real croc calls and learn what scientists think they mean
  • Croc Bytes – Test your crocodilian IQ with fun facts and croc trivia.
  • Gomek – The largest crocodile ever exhibited in the Western Hemisphere was caught on the Fly River of New Guinea in the 1960s. Gomek was believed to be a man-eater by local villagers, but later became a symbol for crocodile conservation in Australia and the United States. A life-sized model of this enormous animal allows visitors to get closer than otherwise possible to a giant “salty.”

These are just some of the highlights of the many displays and dioramas that ‘Crocs’ explores. ‘Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World’ was created by Peeling Productions at Clyde Peeling’s REPTILAND.

Nature’s Ninjas: Defenses of the Animal Kingdom 

Ninjas have been known for their unbelievable survival tactics. They have employed deception, stealth, forgery, armor and advanced chemistry to defend themselves throughout history. The animal kingdom is full of creatures employing these tactics to survive. Come explore some of the world’s most adaptable animals with Fernbank in ‘Nature’s Ninjas: Defenses of the Animal Kingdom’.

‘Nature’s Ninjas’ dives into a variety of defenses found in the animal kingdom including poison, venom, camouflage, mimicry, speed, size (both big and small) and more. Through live-animal displays and detailed graphic panels, guests will learn how these natural ninjas deploy their defenses in order to survive.

Live-animals featured in ‘Nature’s Ninjas’ include:

  • Green Tree Python (camouflage)
  • Veiled Chameleon (camouflage)
  • Three-banded Armadillo (armor)
  • Emperor Scorpions (autonomy)
  • Honduran Milk Snake (mimicry)
  • Poison Dart Frogs (poison)
  • American Porcupine (armor)

These are just seven of the 17 species featured in the exhibit, exploring 10 different defense mechanisms found in the animal kingdom. ‘Nature’s Ninjas’ also features daily live animal encounters programs outside of the exhibit space. These programs further explore the defense mechanisms used by animals on display and open up the floor for guests to pose any unanswered questions they might have from the exhibit.

‘Nature’s Ninjas: Defenses of the Animal Kingdom’ was designed and offered by Little Ray’s Nature Centres and FARE- Foundation for Animal Rescues.

‘Nature’s Ninjas’ and ‘Crocs’ are sponsored locally by Isdell Family Foundation.

Tickets and Visitor Information 

Both exhibits are included with general admission and is free for Fernbank members. Timed, online tickets are required in advance at FernbankMuseum.org at $20 for adults, $19 for seniors and $18 for children*.  To purchase tickets or view pre-visit information, frequently asked questions, safety protocols and more, visit FernbankMuseum.org

‘Crocs’ and ‘Nature’s Ninjas’ will be on view daily from Saturday, June 5 through Monday, September 6, 2021, from 10am to 5pm, along with evening hours during select events.

Special Programming 

Join Fernbank for the opening of ‘Crocs’ and ‘Nature’s Ninjas’ with an opening day event, ‘Scales and Tails’. Discover unique reptiles and amphibians from Fernbank’s animal collection and be one of the first to enjoy everything these two exhibits have to offer.

*Tickets not purchased online are $19.95-$21.95 and may not be available due to safety precautions that limit capacity.