Triceratops skull to be displayed at museum

The fossilised skull of a triceratops will go on show at the Shetland Museum next month.

From Saturday 7th September until Sunday 8th December, the museum and archives will host a new exhibition – Gentle Giant.

The main feature is the triceratops’ skull which will be accompanied by a collection of fossils on loan from The Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow.

The skull of the plant-eating dinosaur which roamed the world 67 million years ago, until dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago, will be displayed in the museum’s foyer.

There will also be a selection of model dinosaurs on display, which have recently been part of the Our Dynamic Earth Dinosaurs at Dusk show.

There will be a number of special events and additional activities arranged during the exhibition.

The Hunterian Museum palaeontologist Neil Clark be at the museum during the opening weekend.

On Saturday 7th September Dr Clark will give a daytime family talk “Dinosaurs in Shetland”. Following the talk youngsters will have the chance to meet a palaeontologist and view fossils up close.

In the evening, Dr Clark will present a talk entitled “Scotland’s Jurassic Isle”. People can go along to find out about Scotland’s rare fauna of Jurassic dinosaurs which has been of global importance since 1982.

Workshops and tours have been developed for nursery and primary school children. Mother and toddler groups will also have the opportunity to visit the museum for a fun dinosaur-themed session.

Other events include family discovery days, October holiday workshops, a dinosaur bookbug session by the Shetland Library staff and even a dino disco.

Museum curator Ian Tait said: “We’re very excited that a triceratops is making its way to Shetland, and 65 million years isn’t too long to wait for it.

“Everyone likes dinosaurs, and if you loved them when you were very young, you never lose that fascination.

“We’d like to thank the Hunterian Museum for kindly lending both specimens and expertise. The exhibition allows the local audience to see prehistoric life right here in Shetland, and has all been made possible because of the generosity of our sponsor, Shetland Transport.”