For Immediate Release

EXPLORE ANTARCTICA’S LIVELY PAST IN FERNBANK’S NEWEST EXHIBIT ‘ANTARCTIC DINOSAURS’

Opening This Weekend with Special Events, Exhibit to Run Oct. 9, 2021 – Jan. 2, 2022

Museum to also Debut “Dinosaurs of Antarctica’ Film + Welcomes Paleontologists from Feature

ATLANTA: Antarctica hasn’t always been icy and barren. Around 200 million years ago, it was a lush, temperate region, home to crocodile-sized amphibians and rhinoceros-sized dinosaurs. On Oct. 9, Fernbank Museum’s newest exhibition, ‘Antarctic Dinosaurs,’ will reveal this lost world. Visitors will be able to see and touch real fossils from Antarctica, along with full-sized replicas showing how the dinosaurs and their habitat would have looked during this time.

The exhibition will contain artifacts from both historical and modern expeditions, including the sledge used by one of the first Antarctic adventurers over 100 years ago and the thick red parkas worn by scientists exploring Antarctica today. Visitors will get a sense of what goes into living and working in the coldest spot on earth.

After exploring the science being conducted in Antarctica, guests will discover the fruits of this labor: dinosaurs. With real bones and artifacts on display, guests will get a first-hand look at the most remarkable findings from the icy continent. Along with real artifacts, guests will experience naturalistic dioramas, featuring life-like sculptures of a variety of dinosaurs from Antarctica. These dioramas and sculptures paint an intricate picture of what Antarctica once looked like hundreds of millions of years ago.

The exhibition features four species of dinosaur: the 25-foot-long predator Cryolophosaurus (“frozen crested lizard,” named for the bony ornamentation on its head), the rhino-sized herbivore Glacialisaurus and two new species that haven’t even been scientifically described yet. These new dinosaurs are sauropodomorphs, early relatives of two giant long-necked, four-legged herbivores like Brachiosaurus and titanosaurs.

“This year marks the 20th anniversary of Fernbank’s Giants of the Mesozoic exhibition, so it seems only fitting that we would host another ground-breaking dinosaur exhibition,” said Fernbank’s VP of Programming Bobbi Hohmann. “Antarctic Dinosaurs is a spectacular exhibition that showcases dinosaurs that our visitors have likely never seen before, as well as the extremes scientists go through to make these kinds of amazing discoveries and contributions to science.”

‘Antarctic Dinosaurs’ also comes with interactive elements. As guests make their way through an Antarctic “expedition” they can touch a stone housing real fossils from Antarctica, explore tectonic plates through puzzles, discover the science behind the polar lights and midnight sun and see how the continents once fit together.

Tickets and Visitor Information: 'Antarctic Dinosaurs’ is included with general admission and is free for Fernbank members. Timed, online tickets are required in advance at FernbankMuseum.org at $20 for adults, $19 for seniors and $18 for children*. To purchase tickets or view pre-visit information, frequently asked questions, safety protocols and more, visit FernbankMuseum.org

‘Antarctic Dinosaurs’ will be on view daily from Saturday, October 9, 2021, through Monday, January 2, 2022, from 10am to 5pm, along with evening hours during Fernbank After Dark** on Oct. 8 (exclusive exhibit preview), Nov. 12 and Dec. 10.

*Tickets not purchased online are $19.95-$21.95 and may not be available due to safety precautions that limit capacity. **Ages 21+ only.
Special Opening Programming: Join Fernbank for a special opening day event celebrating ‘Antarctic Dinosaurs’ on Oct. 9, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Come along on an expedition to Antarctica where guests will explore more fossils, take-in a dino-talk, meet the paleontologist and paleobotanist featured in both the exhibit and film, and more.

Fernbank is also showing an advanced premiere of the companion film ‘Dinosaurs of Antarctica’, opening on Saturday, Oct. 9 (the national debut is scheduled for 2022). Get a view at how the dinosaurs featured in the exhibit ‘Antarctic Dinosaurs’ moved, interacted, hunted and survived in this giant screen film. Film tickets can be added for $6.95 each.

‘Antarctic Dinosaurs’ is sponsored locally by Isdell Family Foundation.