Paleo Events
Enjoy paleontology-themed special events and educational experiences for all ages.
Dueling Dinosaurs Gala
Friday, April 19, 2024 | 6:30pm – 10:00pm
Be the first to see the Dueling Dinosaurs in their new home, our state-of-the-art SECU DinoLab. Embark on a journey of discovery 67 million years in the making. Enjoy a roaring good time with dinosaur-themed cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres from our carnivore and herbivore stations, live music and dancing, captivating performances, behind-the-scenes tours and interactive activities.
Dueling Dinosaurs Friends and Family Day
Saturday, April 20, 2024 | 10:00am-5:00pm
Museum Members will take over all four floors of the Nature Research Center to celebrate our new Dino-mite residents, with hands-on-science stations, crafts designed for the whole family and much more fun!
Dueling Dinosaurs Grand Opening
Saturday, April 27, 2024 | 10:00am-5:00pm
Come help us celebrate the Grand Opening of Dueling Dinosaurs — an exciting new exhibit that will forever change how we view the world’s two favorite dinosaurs — the tyrannosaur and the Triceratops. Enter the world of a paleontologist where you’ll see dinosaur fossils still encased in the sediment that buried them. Watch scientists in their lab as they uncover, grain by grain, the dinosaurs that lie beneath. Talk to the research team as they work to piece together this mystery.
No ticket is required for entry to the Dueling Dinosaurs exhibit on this day only. Guests will be admitted first come, first served.
Paleo Discoveries
Read the latest News & Research Updates from the NCMNS Paleontology team.
Dig This: ‘Neglected’ Dinosaur Had Super Senses
A CT scan of an often-overlooked, plant-eating dinosaur’s skull reveals that while it may not have been all that “brainy,” it had a unique combination of traits associated with living animals that spend at least part of their time underground, including a super sense of smell and outstanding balance. The work is the first to link a specific sensory fingerprint with this behavior in extinct dinosaurs.
Armored archosaur discovery reveals complexity of dinosaur origins
A team of American and Malagasy researchers, including NCMNS Research Curator of Paleontology Dr. Christian Kammerer, have discovered a new species of prehistoric reptile that provides important information on the early history of the dinosaur lineage. The new species, Mambachiton fiandohana, was discovered during fieldwork in the Morondava Basin in southwestern Madagascar.
Supporters
The Dueling Dinosaurs exhibit is made possible by generous donations to the Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences from the following organizations.
Jandy Ammons Foundation
Anonymous
Edward M. Armfield Sr. Foundation, Inc.
Robert & Carol Bilbro
Carlyle Adams Foundation
Josephus Daniels Charitable Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation
Delta Dental of North Carolina
Anne Faircloth & Fred Beaujeu-Dufour
HH Architecture
Hillsdale Fund, Inc.
Institute of Museum and Library Sciences
Betsy Anne Bradshaw Lumsden
Maynard Family Foundation
Julia McMillan & Jed Dietz
Mary McMillan
Robert M. McMillan Jr.
Jane & William K. Morgan
Andrea Nixon & Brent Friedenberg
Our State Magazine
PBS North Carolina
PNC Foundation
Frances & Steve Porter Family Fund of the Winston-Salem Foundation
The Re Corr Family Foundation
Mary Margaret & Kade Ross
Kay Shipman Schoellhorn
Stephanie & Dana Simpson
Temple Sloan Family Foundation
Ann & Wade Smith
Susan & Chris Valauri
Anita Watkins
Wells Fargo Foundation
WRAL
WUNC, North Carolina Public Radio