(Milwaukee, WI): Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) is bringing T. rex and its ancestors back from extinction with the special exhibit Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family. Now open, this highly engaging exhibition explores the latest discoveries about the tyrannosaurs’ family tree, overturning our preconceptions about these dominating dinos. The exhibit will be at MPM through May 18, 2022.
While the most famous tyrannosaur is the ferocious T. rex, paleontologists now know the king of the tyrant lizards (as its name means) was one of the last in a long line of tyrannosaurs that came in all shapes, sizes, colors and textures, spanning different continents and time periods!
This special exhibition features five complete tyrannosaur cast skeletons, seven tyrannosaur cast skulls, three life-sized models of feathered dinosaurs, an immersive video projection tunnel, hands-on activities, a dinosaur-themed gift shop and so much more.
Tickets and Hours
Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family is open during regular MPM hours:
- Wednesday through Monday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tickets for Museum admission and the Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family exhibition can be purchased online at www.mpm.edu or by calling 414-278-2728.
The exhibit explores several key themes:
- What is a tyrannosaur: Learn about the key features that define a tyrannosaur and make them different from other dinosaur groups.
- Meet the family: Tyrannosaurs came in a range of sizes and shapes, some with feathers, some without and some much more threatening than others.
- Explore the family: Tyrannosaurs lived in different habitats, at different times and evolved to fill different ecological niches.
- T. rex—the ultimate: What makes T. rex one of the most formidable predators that ever lived? The focal piece of this section is the cast of “Scotty,” one of the largest and most complete T. rex specimens in the world.
- Tyrannosaurs, the legacy: Despite their final demise during one of Earth’s biggest mass extinction events, tyrannosaurs live on—in our imagination, our culture and in their bird cousins in our backyard.
In conjunction with the exhibit, MPM is offering special programming, events and virtual resources, including:
- Science on Tap lecture series February 24 at 6 p.m.: “The Evolution of Dinosaurian Flight” with Dr. Jingmai O’Connor of the Field Museum
- Dome Theater and Planetarium programs February 18-June 2:
- DinoSOARS!: Explore the fascinating connections between birds and dinosaurs
- Dinosaurs of Antarctica: Join today’s intrepid Antarctic scientists and their quest to understand the lost prehistoric world of Gondwana
About the Milwaukee Public Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum is Wisconsin’s natural history museum, welcoming over half a million visitors annually. Located in downtown Milwaukee, the Museum was chartered in 1882, opened to the public in 1884, and currently houses more than 4 million objects in its collections. MPM has three floors of exhibits that encompass life-size dioramas, walk-through villages, world cultures, dinosaurs, a rainforest, and a live butterfly garden, as well as the Daniel M. Soref Dome Theater & Planetarium. MPM is operated by Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc., a private, non-profit company, and its facilities and collections are held in trust and supported by Milwaukee County for the benefit of the public.
