The long-necked dinosaur was discovered by scientists from the Natural History Museum on adventurous expeditions in the Republic of Niger between 2005-2008. It was the first German dinosaur expedition in Africa for almost 100 years.
On November 26, 2010, the dinosaur room was opened as a new part of the permanent exhibitions of the Natural History Museum. The results of the museum's dinosaur excavations in the Republic of Niger are now on permanent display in the former lecture hall. The centerpiece of the exhibition is the world's first reconstructed skeleton of Spinophorosaurus nigerensis, a sauropod newly described in 2009. The entire skeleton is around 13 meters long. A large proportion of the original Spinophorosaurus bones currently kept in Braunschweig can also be seen in the new exhibition area.
Further highlights of the dinosaur hall are the tracks of predatory dinosaurs, so-called raptors, also found in Niger, which are completed by a skeleton of a small predatory dinosaur. These tracks were published in 2011 under the name Paravipus didactyloides and aroused great interest among experts. They can even be "entered" by visitors thanks to a small glass bridge. These predatory dinosaurs lived at the same time as Spinophorosaurus in the Middle Jurassic.
Another highly interesting exhibit is the original partial skeleton of a Jobaria tiguidensis, a sauropod (long-necked dinosaur) that lived in the Upper Jurassic as the second largest known dinosaur in Africa. This partial skeleton is the only specimen of its kind on display in Europe to date and it allows some important conclusions to be drawn about the way of life of these animals.
Several interactive media stations convey contemporary knowledge about the African giants of the Mesozoic era and take visitors on a journey of discovery to Africa with the help of a digital expedition diary.
Price information:
Adults € 9.00 | reduced € 7.00 | children (6-17 years) € 4.00