The Houston Museum of Natural Science has been expanded by more than 115,000 square feet because of the new Hall of Paleontology. This wide space will be used to house more displays and equipments as well as occupy more visitors. | Courtesy of the Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Houston Museum of Natural Science opened a new 230,000 sq. ft. paleontology hall this summer. The exhibition contains over 30 fossilized dinosaurs including three T-Rexes poised in attack mode and a triceratops with its skin still visible.
“Houston is a great city full of remarkable qualities, outstanding institutions and exceptional people,” said Joel A. Bartsch, president of HMNS in a statement. “HMNS is a world-class institution, renowned far and wide for its exceptional collections, exhibits, and programs. And as a Houstonian, you own it, every artifact, every exhibit, every item in the gift shop, every program.”
The new hall is decorated with exquisite lighting of different shades for a relaxed feel throughout the exhibit.
Though paleontology is thought to be reserved only to fossils, this hall features much more than just dinosaur bones.
There is a wall dedicated to the theory of human evolution, complete with australopithecines (defined as bipedal beings considered to be the start of modern people) and even Neanderthals.
Fossils and evolution is not all what this exhibition has to offer.
The ichthyosaur dubbed “Jurassic Mom” is a reptile with a body similar to a shark. It lived approximately 185 million years ago in what is now Germany.
Despite the millions of years that have passed, “Jurassic Mom” has every single bone intact with pieces of skin along with seven eggs at her side that were waiting to be born when extinction struck.
An armadillo from the Ice Age is shown in its everyday state. This massive armadillo is about the size of a small car.
There is also a ‘Left Behind’ presentation of various coprolites, commonly known as “petrified poop.” Coprolites are fossilized feces that allow scientists to study the diets of the prehistoric ages.
Unlike most exhibitions where everything is behind protective glass or under extreme supervision, the new paleontology hall is quite interactive.
Specimens are on display for visitors to touch for a deeper experience with history.
Real, preserved dinosaur skin can be felt as well as a fossil that is approximately 3.5 billion years old.
The new paleontology hall at the HMNS provides a sense of history that not many other exhibitions can measure up to.
Photography and filming are welcome inside the hall.
Tickets can be purchased at the HMNS box office or online. However, since the new paleontology hall is now a permanent exhibition at the museum it is free after 3 p.m. Thursdays.
The museum is located at 5555 Hermann Park Dr. For more information, call (713) 639-4629 or visit www.hmns.org.
