Jurassic creature to greet airport visitors

Abu Dhabi: A 4.5 tonne skeleton of a Brontosaurus, a long-necked vegetarian dinosaur, will go on display at the arrivals hall of Abu Dhabi Airport next week.

"Einstein" the Brontosaurus lived during the Jurassic Period, about 150 million years ago. The skeleton was discovered in Dakota in the US. It was transported here in ten cargo crates and was reconstructed by a team of paleontology experts.

The exhibition is free of charge and visitors can have their photos taken with Einstein until September.

"The summer period sees thousands of families passing through the airport, so this is an excellent opportunity to give Einstein the audience he deserves," said Dan Cappell, vice-president non-aeronautical revenue, Abu Dhabi Airports Company.

In October, Einstein's skeleton will be auctioned off internationally at a reserve price of $2 million [about Dh7.2 million], with 20 per cent above the reserve of the auction price going to the charity for endangered species of Arabian wildlife. Exact details of the auction have yet to be finalised.

Unusually for an exhibit of this type, Einstein is 85% composed of his original bones, making him one of the most authentic assembled dinosaurs of his kind.

Einstein is a juvenile. An adult Brontosaurus can reach up to 30 metres and weigh 23 tonnes.

Although no dinosaur remains have been found in the UAE, the recent discovery of dinosaur footprints in Yemen have reinvigorated interest in the region's prehistory, and Abu Dhabi has its own Department of Cultural Landscapes within the Authority for Culture and Heritage who are responsible for investigating remains across Abu Dhabi.

Unusually ... Einstein is 85% composed of his original bones, making him one of the most authentic assembled dinosaurs ...