First look at immersive exhibition at Edinburgh museum which will see prehistoric animals come to life
An immersive exhibition showcasing incredible giant prehistoric animals will open in Edinburgh this weekend.
Giants, at the National Museum of Scotland, will run from January 31 to mid-September and promises to take visitors on a journey through time - from 66 million years ago to the present day. The exhibition features life-sized 3D models of enormous but often overlooked creatures that roamed the Earth after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
The spectacular exhibition also features fossils and nearly complete skeletons including Paraceratherium species, the largest land mammal ever known to have walked the Earth. Other highlights include Otodus megalodon, the largest shark that ever lived, and the Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the world’s longest ever snake.
Speaking to the Evening News, Dr Nick Fraser, keeper of natural sciences at National Museums Scotland, said: “When we look at extinct giants of the past, we often just look at dinosaurs, but there was a whole array of different giants that evolved when dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago, and this is their story.
“We wanted to explore what was going on 66 million years, right up to 4,000 years ago. This period, when there were remarkable animals like the Paraceratherium, definitely gets overlooked.
“And there's a plethora of these different forms, so to understand the Earth and our place in it, you can't overlook these this period. They are the origins of many of the modern living groups that we see today.
The interactive exhibition allows visitors to step into the shoes of paleontologists and biologists, engaging with the scientific processes behind fossil discovery and reconstruction.
Giants also brings a poignant reminder of nature’s fragility and the urgent need to protect existing large animals from elephants, rhinoceroses and whales which are now under threat of extinction.
Making its Scottish debut, the touring exhibition was developed by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and is being toured by Nomad Exhibitions. For more information and to book tickets you can visit the National Museum of Scotland website.