The Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester, Dorset, United Kingdom | Museum

Welcome to The Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester, United Kingdom where actual fossils, dinosaur skeletons, and life-size dinosaur reconstructions combine with multimedia, hands on, computer and CD-ROM displays excite, enthral, and entertain the visitor. The Dinosaur Museum has been extensively featured on television and has become nationally famous for its innovative, adventurous and friendly approach. The Museum has won many awards throughout its history.
Dinosaurs ruled the land for some 150 million years, finally becoming extinct 65 million years ago. Our fascination with dinosaurs started in the 1820s when the first true discoveries of dinosaur bones were made in England. Then in 1841 Sir Richard Owen invented the word "dinosauria" - meaning terrible lizard' - to describe this group of prehistoric monsters. Dinosaur fever was created and over 150 years later people's imaginations are still being excited by these prehistoric creatures. This interest in the history of dinosaurs and sense of "dinomania" is reflected in The Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester..
The visitor immediately encounters a complete dinosaur skeleton of the famous meat-eating Megalosaurus, a Jurassic dinosaur, with its sickle-shaped claws and teeth, mounted over a set of very rare footprints made by that dinosaur. Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to be scientifically named 175 years ago, by Reverend William Buckland. This skeleton vividly contrasts with the skeleton of the small fleet-footed vegetarian dinosaur Hypsilophodon. Also in the Buckland Room is a lifesize reconstruction of a Corythosaurus known affectionately a Dina to all in the Museum. She was originally made by the special effects team of the BBC hit sci-fi series Dr Who. Called "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" the programmes starred Jon Pertwee as the Doctor and Elizabeth Sladen as his assistant - Sarah Jane Smith.