Großer Ausstellungssaal mit mehreren montierten Dinosaurierskeletten unter Glasdach im Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

EXHIBITION

The World of Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs and Their Environment 150 Million Years Ago

Welcome to the World of Dinosaurs

At the heart of the museum, the World of Dinosaurs offers insights into research and history: the Giraffatitan, the early bird Archaeopteryx, and fossils from Tendaguru tell stories of science, colonial contexts, and transformation.

“Spectacular,” “unique,” “the best dinosaur exhibition in the world” – this is how enthusiastic visitors describe the World of Dinosaurs in the museum’s central atrium at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. As you enter the hall, look up 23 meters: there, the skull of Giraffatitan brancai towers above the largest mounted dinosaur skeleton in the world, as recorded in the Guinness World Records.

Yet the World of Dinosaurs is far more than a dinosaur exhibition. It presents original fossils of animals and plants that lived together around 150 million years ago – during the Late Jurassic. At that time, sea levels were higher than today, the climate was tropical, and the Earth was divided into two major continents. Dinosaurs were the dominant vertebrates. Many of them, such as Kentrosaurus, Diplodocus, and Elaphrosaurus, were herbivores, feeding on vast ferns and coniferous plants. These species are also part of the exhibition.

The skies were dominated by pterosaurs and the first early birds such as Archaeopteryx lithographica. The Berlin specimen is widely regarded as the best preserved in the world. Insects such as dragonflies, beetles, and grasshoppers filled the air, while fish and crustaceans thrived in the water. Some of these can be discovered, for example, in the display cases.

Jurascopes – From Fossil to Animated Dinosaur

Our interactive Jurascopes bridge the gap between past and present. They connect original fossils with digital reconstructions and show, step by step, how living dinosaurs emerge from bones through research and imagination – from skeleton to muscles and skin, all the way to animated movement.

How dinosaurs actually moved remains a subject of ongoing research. Digital methods in particular are transforming our understanding of these animals. For example, an international team led by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin was the first to reconstruct the tail of Giraffatitan brancai in three dimensions. The results show that the approximately 2.5-ton tail was flexible and actively involved in posture and locomotion. Earlier depictions of dragging tails are now considered o

What is paleontology?

Paleontology is the science of past life. It studies fossils – the preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived long ago – and uses them to understand how animals and plants lived, evolved, and interacted. Fossils form when organisms are covered by sediment after death. Over millions of years, they become fossilized, preserving valuable information about evolution.

Our paleontologists combine biological, geological, and chemical methods to interpret this information. Using modern computed tomography and 3D models, they can examine even the finest structures and reconstruct ecosystems that have long since disappeared.

But paleontology does not only look to the past – it also helps us understand the present. It shows how species responded to climate change and catastrophic events throughout Earth’s history, providing insights into the challenges of our time.

Colonial Contexts and Provenance Research

The exhibition is based on finds from the Tendaguru Expedition (1909–1913) in what is now Tanzania – scientifically significant to this day and inseparably linked to German colonial rule in East Africa. In the dinosaur hall, the Tendaguru Box draws attention to this history.

We critically research and reflect on these colonial contexts today. In a current research project, we are cataloguing fossils and archival material from the Tendaguru Expedition and making them digitally accessible. Using the example of Giraffatitan brancai, researchers examine the entanglements of colonial history, scientific research, and museum practice. Programs such as TheMuseumsLab strengthen new forms of equal collaboration between museums in Africa and Europe.

The Dinosaurs Are Moving

A new chapter is about to begin for the dinosaurs at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: as part of our Museum Evolution, the natural history museum of the 21st century is taking shape. As the listed building is being developed and expanded, the dinosaur skeletons will also be relocated – within the building.

During your visit, you will repeatedly come across moving boxes. They convey which steps are planned and where the dinosaurs are heading. The boxes stand for movement, for science in transition, and for an open approach to the processes on the way to an open, integrated research museum.