Experience a close encounter with dinosaur skeletons, including a 9-metre-long relative of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, at the Canterbury Museum Pop-Up.
Dinosaurs: Surviving Extinction, which opens on 13 February and runs until 14 June, stars life-size replica skeletons of a Tarbosaurus, a carnivorous Asian rival of Tyrannosaurus rex that could grow up to 12 metres long, the fearsome Utahraptor, which was armed with deadly crescent-shaped claws, and a dinosaur that flaunted colourful quills like a porcupine.
The exhibition explores how dinosaurs are related to modern birds and shared many of their traits, including laying eggs, raising their young in a brood and even growing feathers. Visitors can become dino detectives, solving puzzles and following the trail of how some dinosaurs evolved, survived extinction and became the birds of today.
Canterbury Museum Tumuaki Matua | Director Anthony Wright says the large skeletons, a dig pit where children can discover their own dinosaurs, and touchable fossils will appeal to families.
“Dino fans will be delighted by this fabulous range of prehistoric creatures and pick up lots of fun facts about their favourite dinosaurs.”
The dinosaurs on display are drawn from the three main groups that lived in the Cretaceous and Jurrasic period – the two-legged Ornithopods, beaked Ceratopsians and carnivorous Theropods.
As well as the spectacle of ancient giants roaming the earth once again, the exhibition unpacks the science behind new discoveries about the evolution and life of dinosaurs. Visitors can trace the evolutionary transition from dinosaurs to early birds, through key species like Archaeopteryx, Anchiornis, and Confuciusornis, and understand how avian dinosaurs adapted to survive mass extinction events, while other dinosaurs did not.
It also shows how modern scientific techniques continue to reveal new insights into ancient life, including feather impressions found in fossil records, fossilised nests showing Oviraptors brooding over eggs and how Tarbosaurus and Utahraptor may have moved like birds and had similar hollow bones.
This exhibition brings these revelations to life, offering a unique glimpse into the evolutionary journey from dinosaurs to modern birds. Enjoy a brush with prehistoric giants and an eye-popping insight into the feathered legacy of dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs: Surviving Extinction opens 13 February 2026 and runs until 14 June 2026 at the Canterbury Museum Pop-Up, 66 Gloucester Street. Free entry; donations appreciated. Proudly toured by Gondwana Studios.