UAE | General
Jurassic creature to greet airport visitors
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.
- Staff Report
- Published: 00:03 July 24, 2008
- Image Credit: Supplied Picture
- The 4.5 tonne skeleton of a Brontosaurus will be on display at the arrivals hall of Abu Dhabi Airport from next week. The exhibition is free of charge and visitors can have their photos taken with "Einstein"until September.
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 ...
Latest news
- Youngsters dance and raise cash for charity
- Dubai departments upgrade services
- Get yourself a free test for diabetes
- Ensuring a safety net for intellectual property
- Reader's issue addressed
- 5,552 illegals held in Dubai this year
- Man cleared because he took drugs in France
- Man charged with trafficking women
- Auditors to probe Mizin graft case
- Breaking down cultural barriers with photographs
- Abu Dhabi Crown Prince visits Islamic centre
- Police's secret source scheme reaps rewards
- Transfusion centre launches new toll free number
- Mirror, mirror show me the way
- Smart e-Gate system launched
Community Reports
-
Mirror, mirror show me the way
Driver on Salam Street had so many boxes and fruits piled into car, he would not be able to view rear or right side mirrors
-
Parents should be more vigilant
Reader's picture highlights risk of negligence by caretakers
-
Warming up to ‘Mobilise the Earth' theme
Dubai school dedicates a whole week to celebrating Earth Day with can-collection drives, sapling plantation and painting competition among others
-
Drivers using mobiles put others' lives at risk
Speeding is dangerous for the driver and other motorists
