ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 14 NM-Albuquerque-Conv
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Dawn of the Dinosaurs: New
Mexico's Triassic, the only Triassic Exhibit Hall in North America, opens its
doors to the public at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science at
9:00 AM on May 17, 2008. Dawn of the Dinosaurs explores the plants and animals
of the Triassic Period in New Mexico and the world. The Triassic is a time
that saw the extinction of many kinds of plants and animals and the emergence
of two types of animals that have dominated the planet ever since -- dinosaurs
and mammals.
Meet Coelophysis -- one of the first Dinosaurs
Visitors to Dawn of the Dinosaurs will meet one of the first dinosaurs,
Coelophysis, a voracious predator who led the way to dinosaurian dominance of
the planet and New Mexico's official state fossil. In addition, visitors can
interact with the scientist who worked for over three years cleaning the
fossils from a 2-ton stone slab filled with Coelophysis and other fossils.
Interactive Dinosaur Exhibit
Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a highly interactive, cutting edge exhibit hall
of paleontology that features living fossils, the most complete database of
research into Coelophysis, a wall of phytosaur skulls and an interactive
sculpture that allows visitors to explore the evidence scientists use to
identify evolutionary trends. The underlying theme of the hall is the
evolution of species and how at any one time, species can be placed into one
of three categories, species that are: first evolving, persisting in a stable
environment, or going extinct. Visitors can explore these three components
extensively through text panels, interactive displays and an animation of the
concept.
Dawn of the Dinosaurs is the Museum's newest permanent exhibit and is
housed in the Edward and Mary Gavin Family Dawn of the Dinosaurs Hall.
Dawn of the Dinosaurs opens its doors to the public at 9:00 AM on Saturday
May 17, 2008 and is free with regular Museum admission. The museum is located
at 1801 Mountain Road NW in Old Town Albuquerque. For more information call
505-841-2800 or visit http://www.NMNaturalHistory.org. For more information on
visiting Albuquerque, go to http://www.itsatrip.org.
SOURCE Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau
