A sauropod like this model of a juvenile mamenchisaurus at Peoria Riverfront Museum could grow to 130 feet and more than 70 tons as the dinosaur roamed the Earth for 140 million years.
JL SHANNON
The mystery and majesty of the world’s largest dinosaurs are revealed at the sauropod exhibit at the Peoria Riverfront Museum through Sept. 1.
“Sauropods, in fact, were the largest land animals to ever live on planet Earth. They lived on our planet for over 140 million years,” said Renae Kerrigan, Curator of Science at the museum. “The largest of these dinosaurs could have been up to 130 feet long from nose to tail and weighed over 70 tons.”
Their bone structure, diet, and digestion were major factors in sauropods’ immense size, said gallery guide Abbey McComb, who pointed out that ginkgo trees, shown in the exhibit, were among the plants thought to be part of their diet and that these trees have survived to present day.
The exhibit originated at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and has been traveling around the United States for 12 years. Paleontologist Dr. Mark Norell, now curator emeritus of that museum, curated the exhibit, which has a life-size model of a young sauropod and multiple hands-on stations to explore aspects of the dinosaurs’ structure and life.
“I appreciate how interactive it is,” said Shana Freehill, who was exploring the exhibit with her son. “I think it’s a great way for kids to learn, for them to be able to touch and see and hear, it appeals to all the senses. So that always impresses me when there’s more than one learning style available. But I really just appreciate having this here in Peoria.”
Among the interactive stations is a dig pit where visitors can get a taste of paleontology by digging for model bones.
McComb said there are sauropod tours at 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. “There will be a mixed bag of four different themes for these tours: Dino Diet, Dino Giants (size and scale), Dino Differences (us and them), and Dino Detectives (paleontology and how we study dinosaurs). These tours are interactive and flexible based on the interest of the group,” she said.
The second Sunday of every month is free to the public, and seniors get in free the third Wednesday of every month.
For more information about The World’s Largest Dinosaurs: The Science Behind Their Size,
go online to to the museum’s website at peoriariverfrontmuseum.org