Main Exhibition: October 16, 2010 – January 9, 2011
Baby Lyuba: October 16, 2010 – November 10, 2010

 Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age explores the lives of these majestic animals and the environments they traversed. It also guides guests on an exploration of climate change then and now, helping visitors of all ages understand the implications of changing ecosystems. This exciting exhibition from The Field Museum, Chicago, brings a rich collection of fossils, touchable casts, real preserved animal tissue, immersive media, and engaging interactives to the NJ-NY area for the first-and only-time.

 

 

Learn more. (http://www.lsc.org/mammoths)

 Real mammoth on view for a limited time in only two cities

The star of the show will be a real, completely preserved baby mammoth discovered in Siberia in 2007. Named Lyuba, she will be on view in only two North American locations this year-Chicago and Jersey City- before she returns to Russia after November 10. The dramatic and astonishing discovery of Baby Lyuba was featured in National Geographic magazine and on television.

 In Mammoths and Mastodons, guests will revel in the sheer size and diversity of the proboscidean family — from its ancestors in Africa more than 50 million years ago to the comparatively small dwarf mammoths that survived until an astonishingly short time ago: the last one died out around 2,000 years ago.

 Walk through immersive ancient landscapes and learn how to hunt powerful animals, see real Ice Age artworks, touch teeth and fur, and discover more in this multi-sensory exhibition suitable for all ages. Explore how scientists use bones, DNA, and microscopic pollen to learn more about these amazing animals-how they lived, where they lived, and why they died. Finally, hear what scientists conclude from the extinction of these massive creatures in times of great environmental change.

Could their living cousins – the elephants – and humans meet the same fate? This outstanding exhibition helps guests of all ages and backgrounds understand complex issues of today’s conservation biology.

 The exhibition includes:

 ARTIFACTS AND SPECIMENS

â–º Baby Lyuba, a perfectly preserved infant mammoth found in Siberia just two years ago.

 ► More than 100 rare fossils and specimens from collections around the world  

â–º Authentic, sharp-tipped spear points and other hunting tools made by Ice Age hunters.

 ► Some of the oldest art in existence: delicate carvings and Paleolithic jewelry

 ► Fossil casts that allow visitors to touch and explore intriguing details up close

 ► Full sized animal models that create immersive scenes from the past

 INTERACTIVES

â–º Learn how scientists “read” the life stories of these long-extinct creatures in the ivory tusks they left behind

 ► Crawl beneath a saber-toothed tiger’s perch, feel the girth of a Columbian mammoth’s giant femur leg bone, and pet a musk ox’s thick fur to learn about cold-weather insulation

 ► Test advantages and disadvantages of having heavy tusks and trunks, then joust with another tusked opponent

 ► Track mammoths and their neighbors by following their footprints and match different mammoth species to their habitats — not all of which were frozen.

 ► Hear and feel the distinctive sounds of elephant communication

 MEDIA

â–º Come face to face with a herd of mammoths emerging from a Pleistocene dawn

 ► Follow mammoth evolution from giant to tiny dwarfs, and investigate how shrinking ranges contribute to species that shrink dramatically in size

 ► Investigate the causes of the Pleistocene extinction: was climate change or over-hunting to blame? Or a combination of factors?

 ► View stunning footage of elephant herds, and learn about conservation efforts currently underway to save them from the same fate that met their majestic cousins…mammoths and mastodons.

 ENTRANCE FEE

Due to the expense of bringing this outstanding exhibition to Liberty Science Center, there is an extra fee of $5.25 for adults and $3.50 for children ages 2 -12/ seniors 62+. Under 2 is free. School and group rates are also available.

 This exhibition was created by The Field Museum, Chicago.

 About Liberty Science Center
Dedicated to providing transformative experiences that connect schools and society with science and technology, Liberty Science Center is the New Jersey-New York City region’s largest science education resource. Motivated by an innovative philosophy and enabled by a $109 million expansion and renewal, Liberty Science Center is bringing the excitement of science to students, educators, families and adults in engaging new ways and establishing a progressive benchmark for the science center field. Liberty Science Center is located in Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ.

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