‘Ultimate Dinosaurs’ exhibit reveals prehistoric predators from distant continents
Free Press staff report | 6/5/2025, 6 p.m.

The roar of the past echoes through the halls of the Science Museum of Virginia this summer, as visitors encounter the strange and spectacular creatures of a lost world. “Ultimate Dinosaurs,” a touring exhibition, reveals discoveries about prehistoric predators that lived millions of years ago on continents far from the North American landscape.
The exhibit features dozens of fossil specimens and 17 life-size skeletons made from fossil molds, showcasing dinosaurs that evolved in isolation in South America, Africa and Madagascar.
These creatures display unique features — crests, frills, sails and feathers — that set them apart from their North American relatives.
“From the tiny and fast Eoraptor to the massive and menacing Giganotosaurus, our planet was inhabited by fascinating theropods, abelisaurs, spinosaurs and other dinosaur species long before humans ever came along,” said Timshel Purdum, Virginia C. Ellett, deputy director for education at the Science Museum.
The exhibition explores the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea and how continental drift influenced dinosaur evolution during the Mesozoic Era.
Among the featured dinosaurs is Giganotosaurus, the largest carnivorous dinosaur from Gondwana and possibly the largest land predator ever. The exhibit invites visitors to imagine how it might have fared against the Tyrannosaurus rex, despite living millions of years apart on different continents.
Visitors will also encounter Spinosaurus, a carnivore from 112 million years ago that has attracted recent scientific attention as a possible first known aquatic dinosaur. Cryolophosaurus, the “frozen crested lizard” from Antarctica, is a new addition to the exhibit.
Complementing the exhibit, the Science Museum is showing the giant-screen film “Dinosaurs of Antarctica” in The Dome all summer. The 45-minute feature follows scientists as they uncover the secrets of the ancient creatures that once roamed the icy continent. The film is shown at least once daily, with showtimes available on the museum’s website.
Throughout the summer, the museum will host dinosaur-themed events, including a sensory-friendly Minds of All Kinds program on July 12, a 21+ Science on Tap event on July 24, and a Sunrise Science presentation by paleontologist Jennifer Anné on Aug. 25. Additional programming will be offered in labs and live demonstrations.
“Ultimate Dinosaurs” is presented by the Science Museum of Minnesota and produced by the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. It will be on display through Labor Day. Tickets are $25 for adults; $22 for youths ages 6 to 12 and seniors 60 and older; and $17.50 for preschool children ages 3 to 5.