Presenting... 200 years of Megalosaurus

Megalosaurus type specimen, a fossilised jawbone with teeth

Presenting... 200 Years of Megalosaurus

12 FEBRUARY – 16 APRIL 2024

 

Visit our new temporary exhibit and learn about 200 years of Megalosaurus.

In the early 19th century, the word 'dinosaur' didn't exist and the prehistoric world was a complete mystery. On 20 February 1824, Oxford University professor William Buckland stood before a room full of scientists at the Geological Society of London and presented on the fossilised bones of a huge predatory reptile. He named the creature Megalosaurus.

Specimens used to describe a new plant or animal are called 'types'. They are extremely important as the reference material to which all subsequent discoveries are compared. As Megalosaurus was the first named dinosaur, the Megalosaurus type specimens – held in the Museum's collections – can be considered the fossils that started the global phenomenon of dinosaurs.

Visit the presenting case to see one of these type specimens and other Megalosaurus objects on display.

 

 

Presenting 200 years of Megalosaurus, a temporary display at OUMNH
 
 

 

 

 

Map showing that the presenting case is just to the left, next to the help desk, as you enter the Oxford Natural History Museum through the main door.

You can find the Presenting Case next to the Welcome Desk; just to the left as you enter the Museum through the main entrance.