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 now you have a chance to see how you measure up to one of the largest creatures to ever roam the Earth. The titanosaur, the largest dinosaur in history, has landed at The Natural History Museum. Until January 2024, visitors 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 be gracing The Natural History Museum’s halls was donated by the Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (MEF), Argentina. It’s the first time the animal has been showcased in Europe.
As part of the exhibition visitors can walk beneath the dinosaur, weaving between its legs as it towers overhead. The exhibition also has interactive portions, where you can get hands on with touchable specimens. You can “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 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! Although, I guess they would check those kinds of things ahead of time, wouldn’t they?
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! And if you’re a dino-fan who’s already booked their ticket for the exhibition, you’ll also want to check out the Natural History Museum’s dinosaur sleepover events. The sleepovers also come with special acess to the exhibitions, for late-night dino hangs.
Titanosaur: Life as the biggest dinosaur runs at The Natural History Museum until January 7, 2024. Tickets start at £9 for children and £16 for adults, and are available to book now at the website.