The ‘Big Five +’ of Prehistoric Times at Teufelsschlucht Dino Park

© Foto: Dinosaurierpark Teufelsschlucht/E.Wagner

(eap) Since 1 May, the five largest predatory dinosaurs in Europe from Germany, Portugal and England have been the focus of an exhibition that is being shown outside the participating museums and research institutions for the first time. The special presentation ‘Big Five +’ at the Teufelsschlucht Dinosaur Park in Germany’s southern Eifel region shows so-called theropods: Bipedal carnivores with a body length of up to ten metres, which were at the top of the food chain during their lifetime. Based on fossilized finds from the three countries mentioned, scientifically substantiated images of the animals that lived in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods around 166 to 125 million years ago were created. To this end, the manufacturing company Wolter Design (a sister company of Dinosaurierpark International) recreated the life-size dinosaur models based on the scientific data.

Until this autumn, visitors to the Teufelsschlucht Dinosaur Park can now admire the Big Five species Torvosaurus, Wiehenvenator, Allosaurus, Baryonyx and Neovenator in all their glory in the park’s outdoor area. Also on display are finds of bones and teeth, impressive skulls and even a replica of a predatory dinosaur jelly with eggs and embryos. The ‘Plus’ in the title of the exhibition stands for one of the best-preserved predatory dinosaur fossils in the world, found in Bavaria. The juvenile Sciurumimus, which is only 70 cm tall, has therefore earned a place alongside the ‘big five’.

The special exhibition was a collaboration between several European museums and scientists. It involved the Portuguese Parque dos Dinossauros da Lourinhã (read our article in EAP 6/2017), the Museo da Lourinhã, the Dinosaur Isle Museum on the British Isle of Wight, the Landesmuseum Hannover, the LWL Museum für Naturkunde Münster and the Dinosaur Open-Air Museum Münchehagen. ■