Scale, size, and immensity are often hard to visualize. It’s hard to appreciate just how vast space is, just how deep parts of the ocean are, and just how many people can fit into a pub on a Friday night. It’s also difficult to imagine just how huge some of the dinosaurs that walked this earth used to be. But soon you’ll have a chance to see how you measure up to one of the largest creatures to ever roam the solid ground of this planet, when the titanosaur arrives at The Natural History Museum. From March 31, 2023, you can marvel at the sheer size of the Patagotitan mayorum in its first ever European showcase: Titanosaur: Life as the biggest dinosaur.
The Patagotitan mayorum is the most complete giant dinosaur skeleton ever found, and it’s an absolute beast of a display. The cast model that will hit The Natural History Museum’s halls has been donated by the Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (MEF), Argentina. As part of the exhibition visitors will be able to walk beneath the dinosaur as it towers over them, and even get hands on with some touchable specimens. You’ll be able to “See how you size up next to a titanosaur femur bone, look between the eyes of a gigantic sauropod skull, and get close enough to smell dinosaur poo!”
How big exactly is the titanosaur?
Right, brace yourself for this. The Patagotitan mayorum that will be on display is four times heavier than Dippy the Diplodocus. Added to that, it measures a staggering 12 metres longer than Hope the blue whale. In fact, it’s so tremendous that it will barely fit inside the museum’s enormous 9-metre-high Waterhouse gallery. Imagine trying to get the display inside and only halfway through realizing it’s too big!
Said Professor Paul Barrett, the science lead on the exhibition:
“Patagotitan mayorum is an incredible specimen that tells us more about giant titanosaurs than ever before. Comparable in weight to more than nine African elephants, this star specimen will inspire visitors to care for some of the planet’s largest and most vulnerable creatures, which face similar challenges for survival, and show that within Earth’s ecosystems, size really does matter.”
You definitely don’t want to miss your chance to check out this jaw-dropping spectacle! Love dinosaurs? You’ll also definitely want to check out the Natural History Museum’s dinosaur sleepover events – bonus points if you go while the titanosaur is on display!
Titanosaur: Life as the biggest dinosaur will open at The Natural History Museum on March 31, 2023. The exhibition will run until January 7, 2024. Tickets start at £9 for children and £16 for adults, and are available to book now at the website.