The Booth Museum of Natural History is set to reopen its doors to visitors and the community – with new exhibits on recent dinosaur discoveries.
For the first time, visitors will be able to see a fossil that has excited scientists because it is believed to indicate a new species of pterosaur from the dinosaur age.
Paleontologist Roy Smith of the University of Portsmouth visited the museum’s geological collections in February last year and discovered a fragment of jawbone, donated to the museum over 100 years ago, which belonged to a never-discovered flying reptile that could have been the size of a magpie.
Unfortunately, the fragment is too small to found a new species and it is unlikely that a larger number of specimens will be found.
Hedley Swain, CEO of the Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust, said: “It is wonderful that the Booth Museum is reopening after such a long time.
“It is fascinating to know that the objects in the collection, many of which are millions of years old, are still relevant to modern experts and enhance our knowledge of natural history.”
The museum is the last of five trust sites to reopen since the national lockdown was eased earlier this year.
Visitors can check out the museum’s expeditions starting this Saturday – admission is free.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-07-28 16:00:00
