Pterosaurs Exhibit Comes To Cleveland Museum

CLEVELAND, OH - From the Cleveland Museum of Natural History: They flew with their fingers. They walked on their wings. Some were gigantic, while others could fit in the palm of your hand. Millions of years ago, the skies were ruled by pterosaurs — the first vertebrates to achieve flight. Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs opens at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History on February 17, 2018 and will run through August 12, 2018. It will be showcased in Kahn Hall.

Not dinosaurs, birds or bats, pterosaurs were flying reptiles that lived in the world of dinosaurs 220 to 66 million years ago. This exhibit from the American Museum of Natural History, New York, showcases rare fossils, life-size models and activities that bring pterosaurs to life.

“We are excited to bring this exhibit to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History,” said Sonia Winner, acting Executive Director & CEO. “This interactive exhibit truly brings pterosaurs to life and we are thrilled to share this immersive and interactive experience with the Cleveland community.”

Guests can view fossils, participate in interactive displays and see the diverse sizes of pterosaurs with wingspans from 25 feet down to 10 inches.

“Our visitors will have the unique opportunity to see the largest exhibit about these flying reptiles ever mounted in the United States,” said Andy Jones, Ph.D, Director of Science and William A. and Nancy R. Klamm Endowed Chair of Ornithology. “Pterosaurs highlights the latest research by leading paleontologists around the world and features remarkable pterosaur fossils and casts from Italy, Germany, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.”

Fossils

Incredible new fossil discoveries are revealing surprising clues about the diversity of pterosaurs, their unique wing-finger anatomy and their capabilities for flight and locomotion. Because of their fragile nature, pterosaur fossils are more rare than those of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. Several displays explain the fossilization process, and visitors will view an exquisitely preserved three-dimensional fossil of the pterosaur Anhanguera santanae, which died in a lagoon in what is now Brazil 110 million years ago.

Interactive Displays

Several interactive displays enable visitors to see the world from a pterosaur’s point-of- view. In the Fly Like a Pterosaur interactive, visitors can navigate as three different species of flying pterosaurs over prehistoric landscapes, complete with forest, sea and volcano, in a whole-body, movement-based display. iPad stations offer visitors the inside scoop on different pterosaur species—Pteranodon, Tupuxuara, Pterodaustro, Jeholopterus and Dimorphodon—with animations of pterosaurs flying, walking, eating and displaying their crests; multi-layered interactives that allow users to explore pterosaur fossils, behavior and anatomy; and video clips featuring commentary from scientists and other experts.

Discovering pterosaur diversity

Pterosaurs were not dinosaurs. These flying reptiles were the first vertebrate animals to evolve powered flight. Over a period of 150 million years, they diversified into more than 150 species of all shapes and sizes across the planet until they went extinct 66 million years ago. Visitors will encounter full-size models of one of the largest and one of the smallest pterosaur species ever found, from the colossal Tropeognathus mesembrinus, with a wingspan of more than 25 feet, soaring overhead to the robin-sized Nemicolopterus crypticus, with a wingspan of 10 inches.

Pterosaurs is free with Museum admission - $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $12 for youth ages 3-12 and free for all Museum members and children under 3. Tickets and information can be found at the Museum’s website (cmnh.org).

ABOUT THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, incorporated in 1920, is one of the finest institutions of its kind. It is noted for its collections, research, educational programs and exhibits. The collections encompass millions of artifacts and specimens, and research of global significance focuses on 11 natural science disciplines. The Museum conserves biological diversity through the protection of more than 9,400 acres of natural areas. It promotes health education with local programs and distance learning that extends across the globe. Its GreenCityBlueLake Institute is a center of thought and practice for the design of green and sustainable cities.

This exhibition is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org)

Photo courtesy of Cleveland Museum of Natural History, credit ©AMNH/D. Finnin