Halifax Discovery Centre offers guests a new way to explore the past with dinosaur exhibit

A new exhibit at the Discovery Centre in Halifax features fascinating fossils and amazing animatronics.

The Discovery Centre in downtown Halifax has a new exhibit about Earth’s past. Dinosaur Explorer uses ancient fossils and modern animatronics to educate visitors about the animals that dominated the planet millions of years ago.

Jillian Phillips is the manager of science education at the Discovery Centre. She said it’s the first time the Discovery Centre has featured the exhibit.

“We’re really thrilled to pass on some learning from a curated selection with world-leading paleontologists and some really cool feathered, fluffy and scaly dino-friends,” said Phillips.

The lifelike animatronics and their attention to detail make Dinosaur Explorer different from previous Discovery Centre installations, Phillips said.

“These really interact with you like they’re living, breathing beings in our space,” said Phillips. “There’s so many rich learning opportunities.”

Those opportunities include reconstructed dinosaur habitats to explore and comparisons with modern animals.

“The inner kid in me is screaming ‘Land Before Time’ and I love it,” said Phillips. She said her favourite part of Dinosaur Explorer is “Create-a-saurus” where visitors can draw dinosaurs and bring them to life on the big screen.

“It hatches from an egg and you can see your dino wandering through prehistoric times.”

Dinosaur Explorer is at the Discovery Centre until April 27, 2025.

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