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Giants of the Mesozoic
Stand beneath some of the world's largest dinosaurs as you enter this snapshot of life in prehistoric Patagonia (145-165 million years ago). Take in a scene of an epic dinosaur battle between Giganotosaurus and Argentinosaurus, with a flock of pterosaurs scattering away.
Play the role of paleontologist as you examine the terrain to discover buried and trace fossils of other plant and animal species, such as dinosaur tracks, an Araucaria tree, a crocodile and a turtle shell.*
Exhibit Highlights
Argentinosaurus
- ar-gin-TEEN-oh-SAWR-us
- Dinosaur weighing over 100 tons
- Name means "Argentine Lizard"
- Plant-eater feasted primarily on conifers
- Lived 90 million years ago
- Measured more than 123-feet long, the length of nearly four school buses
Giganotosaurus
- gee-ga-NOH-toh-SAWR-us
- Meat-eating dinosaur measuring 47 feet long and weighing 8-10 tons
- Ferocious hunger with 6-foot-long skull and 8-inch-long, knife-like teeth
- Name means "Great Southern Lizard"
- Lived 95 million years ago
- Nearly four feet longer than Tyrannosaurus rex
Anhanguera
- AN-han-GER-uh
- Flying reptile, or pterosaur
- Lived 120 million years ago
- Name means "Old Devil”
- Wingspan measured 18-19 feet
- Diet consisted of fish, which were likely consumed while in flight
Pterodaustro
- TER-oh-DAS-troh
- Pterosaur
- Name means "Wing of the South"
- A flock of 21 pterosaurs soars above atrium
- Wingspan of 52 inches
- Lived 125 million years ago
We are grateful to the following sponsors, whose generosity has made this exhibition possible: Miller Family Foundation; Wells Fargo Foundation; Livingston Foundation, Inc.; The David, Helen and Marian Woodward Fund; The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation; The Raymond M. Cash Foundation, Inc.; United Parcel Service; The Price Gilbert, Jr. Charitable Fund; and Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, Inc.
*The fossils on display in Giants of the Mesozoic are cast replicas of the original specimens. The fossilized bones remain in Argentina, where they are protected as a national treasure.
Fernbank is a not-for-profit natural history museum, giant screen theater and old-growth forest, and is not affiliated with Fernbank Science Center, which operates as a division of DeKalb County Schools.
