ROARRR of the T-Rex
Waterloo Region Museum welcomes Australian uber predator exhibit
difficult to imagine a cute nickname like “Scotty” attached to a Tyrannosaurs Rex with a head the size of a Volkswagen and serrated teeth as long as a human forearm.
What is it about dinosaurs like Scotty that so captivates humans and makes us try to lessen our dread through humour?
“It’s our innate fear of carnivores,” said James Jensen, supervisor of collections and exhibits at the Waterloo Region Museum where a new exhibit “Tyrannosaurs: Meet the Family” runs until April 30.
The exhibit explores the entire tyrannosaurus family, spanning several epochs, from Mesozoic to Cenozoic and much of the information and the discoveries are new to science.
Jensen said people are fascinated by the world of dinosaurs, particularly meat eaters. There are those teeth of course and also the sheer scale of the thing. Our modern world is filled with reptiles, but nothing much bigger than a Nile crocodile, so something the size of a house is just unfathomable and scares the bejeebers out of puny humans.
The exhibit was created by the Australian Museum using specimens gathered from around the world including Scotty, a Canadian boy. Of course the real thing is much too fragile to travel so replicas have been created.
The original Scotty and its first replica are housed at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. The 65-million-year old skeleton was discovered in 1991 and excavated three years later, the very first T-Rex skeleton discovered in that province. Museum staff gave the frightening beast his nickname.
The exhibit features discoveries from Southeast Asia, Canada and China including Guanlong wucaii, a newly discovered feathered relative of T-Rex.
“Tyrannosaurs: Meet the Family” has more than 10 life-sized T-Rex each one possessing its own unique, albeit frightening charm. This is the travelling exhibit’s first North American stop.
Jensen talks about how the huge exhibit arrived in four sea shipping containers, everything inside dismantled and packed carefully.
Scotty, for example, came in four pieces, including the sturdy metal frame that keeps him upright.
“They’re like big toys,” Jensen said of the assembly process.
Aside from being educational, the exhibit also shows off an Aussie sense of humour, starting in the entrance hallway leading to the exhibit. On the right is a projected image of Doon Heritage Village. On the left is the exterior shot of the museum and its multicoloured panels.
Both photos are standard promotional visuals until you see groups of dinosaurs running across the grounds, darting along the fence line and suddenly shifting into high gear when a larger predatory T-Rex comes thundering behind them.
In the main exhibit area, a T-Rex skeleton is projected onto a wall. Watch for a few minutes and visitors will see the dino’s tiny front claws forming shadow puppets: a bunny, a horse, a man with a hat. Then a person walks toward the dino which promptly reaches down ... it doesn’t end well.
One of the most fun and interactive features is a projection of little dinos that trot by on a screen. The dinos react to human movements, some coming up to sniff visitors’ legs before dashing off like skittish puppies.
Minutes later, a huge T-Rex stomps onto the scene, grabs one of the little dinos and roars into the camera. Suddenly there is a black screen and a pop up box, “system failure.”
It does drive home the point, these creatures would have had us quaking in fear.
“It’s all very Jurassic Parkish,” said Jensen.