Welcome to Life among Dinosaurs. In the wake of the extinction event, 252 million years ago, a new fauna emerged. Two large dinosaurs, Brontosaurus and Stegosaurus, occupy the middle of the room. Around the perimeter of the room, you can explore fossil deposits of different ages and locations – including fossils found locally.
Under The Age of Reptiles mural by Rudolph Zallinger, we explore the evolution of locomotion through examining fossils. Learn about tetrapods emerging from aquatic to terrestrial environments, the adoption of an upright posture that allowed breathing while running, and the origins of powered flight. You’ll learn that many aspects of locomotion evolved for different purposes and were later used in another way.
Click to expand images below.
The Age of Reptiles
Rudoph Zallinger, 1982
Drawing from the fossils seen in the Age of Reptiles mural, see how features of bones give us clues as to how dinosaurs lived and moved and how different types of evolution evolved.
Image credit/copyright: Yale Peabody Museum
Deinonychus
117 to 101 million years ago
You might recognize this dinosaur by another name—the fictional velociraptors of Jurassic Park were inspired by this relative of their real-life counterparts.
Connecticut Fossils
As the rift valley lakes and floodplains of Connecticut were covered with mud, fish and dinosaur footprints fossilized.
Brontosaurus
Back and better than ever—with 27 new vertebrae and a tail raised in the air, this Brontosaurus is scientifically accurate.
All photos: credit Andy Melien / Yale Peabody Museum unless otherwise noted.
"The Age of Reptiles" by Rudolph Zallinger: copyright Yale Peabody Museum