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Terrorsaurus

Exhibition Zones

Inside the exhibition are three adventure zones the visitor can experience on their way through Terrorsaurus.

The three zones are:

1. In the Wild which features a realistic late Jurassic Period forest setting. Content focuses on interpreting tracks to learn about dinosaur locomotion. Robotic dinosaurs include Stegosaurus and Apatosaurus. Interactive exhibits include ‘Backs and Bridges’, ‘The Swamp’, ‘Deinonychus Dash’ and ‘Trackasaurus’.
2. Last of the Dinosaurs which features a realistic late Cretaceous Period setting. Content focuses on observation and interpretation of the final species of dinosaurs to walk the Earth before extinction. Robotic dinosaurs include Maiasaura adult, juvenile and nest, Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex. Interactive exhibits include 'Robosaurus'.
3. Dino Lab, an abstract setting focusing on dinosaur anatomy, behaviour and extinction. Information is presented in a more stylised and theoretical way. Interactive exhibits include ‘Flesh on Bones’, ‘Paintasaurus’, ‘Quizasaurus’, ‘Toneasaurus’, ‘Hatch Patch’ and ‘Long Gone–o–saurus’.
4. Muttaburrasaurus and Parasaurolophus can be found in the Foyer.

Themes and exhibits

Blockbuster Exhibits: Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus, Maiasaura Adult, Maiasaura Nest, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Muttaburrasaurus, Parasaurolophus

Other Exhibits: Quizasaurus, Robosaurus, Hatch Patch

Exhibit by exhibit

Robotic Dinosaurs

These are half-scale robotic models based on scientists’ current thoughts on the dinosaurs’ possible shape and skin

Backs and Bridges

The exhibit is a comparison between the bridge across which the visitors travel and the robotic model of Apatosaurus. It demonstrates how nature can provide elegant solutions to problems humans want to solve today.

The Swamp

The swamp forms the environment for the start of the first adventure zone and conceals a realistic model of a prehistoric crocodile ancestor. The aim is to give visitors some idea of what Earth was like in the Late Jurassic Period. The Swamp also demonstrates that dinosaurs were not the only predators alive during this period. The reptile in the swamp, Hoplosuchus, is an ancestor of the modern crocodile and is not a dinosaur. The crocodile lineage split off from the archosaurs, ancestors of the dinosaurs, before dinosaurs evolved.

Trackasaurus

Trackasaurus is an exhibit comprising three panels that analyse and interpret dinosaur tracks. It provides the visitor information on how to interpret tracks, and an opportunity to interpret a track scenario from the Lark Quarry site in Central Queensland. It indicates how tracks provide information on dinosaur speed, weight, social structure and size.

Deinonychus Dash

The exhibit Deinonychus Dash comprises two parts. In part one visitors discover how scientists predict dinosaur speed from trackways by measuring hip height and stride length. The visitor can then measure their stride length and hip height to compare their predicted speed with that of a vicious carnivore, Deinonychus.

Part two is an interactive exhibit that encourages the visitor to race a small dinosaur on a 15 m track. Visitors are timed against Deinonychus – running at 25 km/h — and told whether they could outrun the dinosaur or whether they become Deinonychus’ lunch.

It is important to stress that both of the interactives are an approximation of speed.

Long Gone-a-saurus

This exhibit consists of one panel and an interactive exhibit, which discusses dinosaur extinction — approximately 65 million years ago at the KT (Cretaceous–Tertiary) boundary. It examines the three main contemporary extinction theories by presenting an overview and the scientific evidence used to support each theory. This exhibit aims to guide the visitor through the process of devising and testing scientific hypotheses of dinosaur extinction.

Visitors select an extinction theory and place evidence pieces in an evidence tray. If they choose the correct supporting evidence the computer displays text and animation; if incorrect, the computer prompts the visitor to choose again. When all three pieces of evidence have been correctly chosen, a complete theory animation is displayed.

Toneasaurus

This exhibit allows a visitor to pull a handle forcing air from a bellows past a rubber balloon into a resonating system. Another handle allows visitor to change the volume of air moving through the balloon and hence the tone made. It represents the sound generated by animal vocal cords. This exhibit encourages visitors to experiment with possible sounds made by dinosaurs.

Quizasaurus

This exhibit aims to clarify common misconceptions about dinosaurs, and consolidate the information presented in the Terrorsaurus exhibition. It is a game for two players who take the names of the dinosaur characters on the screen. Questions are presented in a fun quiz-show computer game format.

Robosaurus

This exhibit is a robotic purple metal model of a Tyrannosaurus skeleton. Visitors can make the robot perform such actions as: sweeping the tail back and forth, raising and lowering a leg, tilting the robot forward and backward, and opening and closing the jaws, wagging the head, and expanding the rib cage. The exhibit aims to give visitors some idea of the articulations possible in a dinosaur skeleton. It also demonstrates the pneumatics used in the model robotic dinosaurs.

Hatch Patch

This exhibit is a dinosaur-theme play area for very young visitors and contains books, puzzles, and dress-ups. It aims to capture the attention of very young children with dinosaur-related activities in a surrounding nest environment.

Paintasaurus

Paintasaurus is a touch screen exhibit that allows visitors to explore dinosaur colour and texture. This exhibit shows how different colourings can be used for different purposes, such as camouflage, defence or attracting a mate.

Jigasaurus

This exhibit explores features that distinguish herbivores from carnivores. The visitor selects different body parts and attaches them to a fixed dinosaur skeleton to build either a leaf eater (Patsy– based on Apatosaurus), a carnivore (Dino- based on Deinonychus) or a twig eater (Tops– based on Protoceratops). An audiovisual sequence gives the visitors hints and lets them know if they have the correct body part.

Flesh on Bones

This exhibit is a computer interactive designed to demonstrate the how a model Tyrannosaurus rex can be reconstructed based on skeletal remains. It explains the transition from fossil bones to an ‘actual dinosaur’ by drawing parallels with living animals.

The exhibit examines the size, shape and some behavioural characteristics of the dinosaur.

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