• T-Rex Skeleton (cast) – this T-Rex skeleton, nick-named Tressie, has been a favorite sight at the Museum since its opening in 1995. The original skeleton was found in Alberta, Canada and actually consists of two different skeletons – the body found at one location and the head at another. This is typical of most T-Rex skeletons. Experts also surmise that these were the remains of a female T-Rex, hence the nick-name "Tressie."
• Meet a Paleontologist – a video, featuring Dr. Jack Horner and Dr. Karen Chin, introduces children to scientists who study dinosaurs. Doctors Chin and Horner consulted on the Museum’s original dinosaur exhibit and the paleontologist characters in Jurassic Park were based on them. The video explains paleontology and it is interesting to note that Dr. Chin specializes in dinosaur excrement.
• Pretendasaurus – a costume dress-up area for kids where they can put on one of several different costumes and pretend to be a dinosaur
• The Field Station – this new area is where kids can pick up their shovels, brushes and field vests, catch the latest news in paleontology, and touch a real dinosaur bone (a tibia) from the only dinosaur ever found in Tennessee (an Edmatosaurus)
• Dig Pit – a simulated dinosaur dig – still one of the most popular features in the Museum. The pit contains the skeletal remains (all casts) of a gryposaurus, an albertosaurus, a juvenile hypacrosaurus (new) and a hypacrosaurus egg nest (new).
• Dig Bins – two upright dig bins containing several Centrosaurus bones (pelvis, femurs, ribs, and assorted small bones) for children to sort through. The Centrosaurus skull is located above the dig pit
• The Hatchling Nest – here a newborn T-Rex dinosaur puppet is located in a nest replica so small children can play and simulate the hatching of a dinosaur egg.
• Parasaurolophus Horn Station – here kids can work at blowing air through a simulated Parasaurolophus horn so they can experiment with dinosaur communication.
• Deinonychus Puzzle – children can practice putting together a magnetic dinosaur skeleton puzzle.
• Discovery Cave – here kids can learn about Entomology (the study of insects) and Geology (the study of rocks and minerals). This simulated underground cave was made with 8 tons of concrete and literally thousands of small rock and real fossils to simulate a "C" horizon, which is the layer of soil where most fossils are discovered
• The Crawl – this area is an offshoot of the cave where children can get on their hands and knees to crawl though and find some unique discoveries. In this area children will see a gopher snake burrow (his name is Fred), plant root systems, a yellow jacket hive, and a star-nosed mole display.
• Critter Station – here kids can use a WentzScope (from England) to see insects up close and inspect their legs, eyes, wings and other parts of their anatomy.
• Critter Corner – here is where the insect and animal displays are located. The Museum can change them as needed. Now featured are a common house mouse named Silver, a giant African millipede, a gopher snake, a curly haired Honduran Tarantula, three Emperor Scorpions, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches.
• Glowing Rocks – a phosphorescent rock display built into the side of the cave wall. As a visitor peers into the dark hole, they push a button that turns on a black light, causing the rocks to produce their own special "glow in the dark" illumination. This teaches kids about the unique chemical properties of some minerals.
• Mineral Wall – Beautiful mineral and fossil specimens, which the Museum can change as needed. Currently on display are Malachite, a vibrant green stone with circular patterns, clear Quartz, purple Amethyst, reddish-brown Argonite, petrified wood, a geode, Mica, Gypsum, Tourmaline, green Olivine crystals, and bright yellow Sulfur crystals.
• Rock Sorting Tables – located at the mineral wall. Here kids can learn about the different types of rocks and learn to sort them by color, weight, size, texture, shape, appearance, etc.
• MicroEye Station – located next to the rock sorting tables, this microscope “sees” the most minute details from any item placed under it and projects the view up onto a screen for observation. Kids can see details of rocks, fossils and even everyday items they might be carrying in their pockets. This scope is from New Zealand.

CDM FUN FIELD SCIENCE FACT:
Did you know that the youngest rock formations in the Chattanooga area are approximately 300 million years old, which predate the earliest known dinosaurs by roughly 80 million years? Wow! That’s even older than your grandparents.

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