The Authentic Source for
The Authentic Source for
The earliest-known dinosaurs appeared about 228 million years ago; their fossils have been found on every continent. They dominated the land until about 65 million years ago, when an episode of extinction eliminated the non-avian dinosaurs (but not t... read more
The Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs examines the branches of dinosaurs that possess a backward pointing pubis bone. Additional features found within the Ornithischians include inset tooth rows forming cheeks and the uneven covering of enamel on the t... read more
The Hall of Primitive Mammals traces the lower branches of the evolutionary tree of mammals, including such features as the synapsid opening in the skull (a large hole behind the eye socket for muscles that extend to the jaw, found also in early rela... read more
Paul and Irma Milstein Hall of Advanced Mammals features advanced mammals with such traits as hoofs and eye sockets near the snout, in addition to those traits featured in the Hall of Primitive Mammals. A wide range of animals is represented along th... read more
The Hall of Vertebrate Origins tells the story of the burgeoning of vertebrates through the oceans and onto land, an evolutionary sequence stretching back more than 500 million years. The development of some of the most basic, yet revolutionary, phys... read more
The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of the Universe presents the discoveries and explorations of modern astrophysics. This 7,000-square-foot hall is divided into four zones featuring exhibit islands rich with astronomical imagery, rotating video di... read more
A major feature of the Rose Center is the Scales of the Universe exhibit along the 400-foot-long walkway that hugs the glass wall of the cube. This unique exhibit, which employs the facility's architectural features by using the Hayden Sphere as a ba... read more
Following the explosive Big Bang experience, visitors exit onto the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway, a dramatic, spiraling ramp that ushers them through 13 billion years of cosmic evolution. At the start of the walkway, visitors can measu... read more
Dominating the Rose Center is the magnificent Hayden Sphere, which features the world's largest virtual reality simulator. Weighing four million pounds and measuring 87 feet in diameter, the Hayden Sphere houses the Space Theater in its upper half an... read more
The Hall of Northwest Coast Indians, the Museum's oldest hall, showcases the research conducted during the Museum's first major field expedition, the Jesup North Pacific Expedition (1897-1902), considered one of the most important anthropological fie... read more
These halls showcase artifacts such as cooking utensils, clothing, weapons, and jewelry from traditional Native American cultures in the East and in the Plains. The Hall of Eastern Woodlands Indians focuses on the traditional cultures of the Mohegan,... read more
Africa, a continent of nearly 12 million square miles and more than 700 million inhabitants, boasts a rich array of cultures. The Hall of African Peoples explores this great diversity, highlighting the traditional lifestyles and customs of people liv... read more
The Museum's holdings in Asian ethnology constitute one of the finest such collections in the Western Hemisphere. This extensive collection provides the foundation for the Hall of Asian Peoples, the Museum's largest cultural hall. The hall explores s... read more
The diverse art, architecture, and traditions of the Maya, Toltec, Olmec, Aztec, and other Mesoamerican pre-Columbian cultures are the subjects of this hall. The outstanding collections on display include monuments, figurines, pottery, and jewelry th... read more
This hall explores the pre-Columbian cultures of South America as well as the traditional cultures living in the region today, encompassing the ancient Inka, Moche, Chavin, and Chancay cultures as well as the many peoples of modern Amazonia. Especial... read more
The renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) worked in the Museum's Anthropology Department from 1926 until her death. Through her groundbreaking expeditions to Samoa, New Guinea, and Bali, Mead brought anthropological work into the public c... read more
Between 1922 and 1928, Museum Trustee Arthur S. Vernay and British Colonel John C. Faunthorpe conducted six expeditions to collect animal specimens in India, Burma (now Myanmar), and Siam (now Thailand). The specimens were then donated to the Museum ... read more
More than 25 Museum expeditions, ranging from Mexico to Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic and from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, produced the magnificent examples of North American mammals displayed in this hall. James Perry Wilson (1889-... read more
Since its opening in 1936, the Akeley Hall of African Mammals has been considered one of the world's greatest museum displays. The hall is named after Carl Akeley (1864-1926), the explorer, conservationist, taxidermist, sculptor, and photographer who... read more
This hall's dioramas represent the bird life of the far-flung islands of the Pacific. These islands are geologically diverse, ranging from low coral to high mountains. One of the dioramas represents the bird population of the Guano Islands, named aft... read more