Dinosaur Hall

The large fossil reproductions of dinosaurs and marine reptiles that dominate Dino Hall, part of the Natural History Gallery, are all from the Mesozoic Era. The dinosaurs on display include a Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, Apatosaurus, and Appalachiosaurus. The marine reptiles on display include two Mosasaurs, “Ian,” and “Kimberly.” Unlike most of the specimens in The Natural History Gallery, Ian and Kimberly are real fossils, not reproductions. Kimberly was found by Aaron Scott, a University of Tennessee at Martin student, during a dig cosponsored by Discovery Park of America and Triebold Paleontology. He named the fossil after his mother. Scott has visited Discovery Park several times, speaking with guests about the dig and the process of unearthing a fossil.

The reproductions in the Natural History Gallery are scientifically correct reproductions; this means that real bones were used to create the molds from which our skeletons were made.