Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum facts for kids
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| Established | July 14, 2000 |
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| Location | 51-11 Terao, Muroko-chō, Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan |
| Type | Natural history museum |
| Visitors | 901,119 (FY2016) |
| Architect | Kisho Kurokawa |
| Public transit access | Katsuyama Eiheiji Line (Echizen Railway) |
The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum (福井県立恐竜博物館, Fukui Ken-ritsu Kyōryū Hakubutsukan) is a super cool place in Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It's one of the best dinosaur museums in Asia! People know it for its amazing dinosaur fossils and for the important research done there.
The museum is located in Nagaoyama Park, which is also called the Katsuyama Dinosaur Forest Park. It's really close to a special place called the Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry. This is where many dinosaur bones have been found. Some famous dinosaurs discovered here include Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis.
Since 2009, the whole area of Katsuyama City has been known as a Japanese Geopark. It's called the "Dinosaur Valley Fukui Katsuyama Geopark." You can even take a guided tour to a field station near the excavation site from late April to early November.
In 2017, the fossils of five different dinosaur species and the actual dig site were named a Natural Monument of Japan. This means they are very important and protected. The Asia Dinosaur Association also has its main office inside the museum.
Contents
Discovering Dinosaurs: A Timeline
The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum (FPDM) opened in 2000. It's a special museum for studying fossils and the Earth. It was built close to the dinosaur dig site in Nagaoyama Park.
Here are some important dates in the museum's history:
- 1982: A nearly complete skeleton of a crocodile-like animal was found in Katsuyama City.
- 1984: The "Fukui Prefectural Museum" opened. It later became the Fukui Prefectural Museum of Cultural History.
- 1988: Two teeth from a meat-eating dinosaur were found at the same site as the crocodile skeleton.
- 1989: The first big dinosaur digging project started. It lasted for five years.
- 1995: The second dinosaur digging project began, also lasting five years.
- 1998: Work started on building the museum.
- 2000: The museum building was finished.
- 2000: The dinosaur Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis was officially named.
- 2000: On July 14, the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum officially opened its doors!
- 2003: The dinosaur Fukuisaurus tetoriensis was named.
- 2007: The third dinosaur digging project began.
- 2010: The dinosaur Fukuititan nipponensis was named.
- 2013: The Asia Dinosaur Association was created, and its office is at the museum.
- 2014: A Field Station opened near the dinosaur quarry for visitors.
- 2015: The dinosaur Koshisaurus katsuyama was named.
- 2016: The dinosaur Fukuivenator paradoxus was named.
- 2017: Dinosaur fossils from five species and their dig site were named a national natural monument.
- 2019: The dinosaur Fukuipteryx prima was named.
Exploring the Exhibits
The museum has five main areas to explore: "Dino Street," "World of Dinosaurs," "Science of the Earth," "History of Life," and "Dino Lab."
When you enter the museum, you're on the third floor. After getting your ticket, you ride a super long escalator down to the basement. This escalator is about 33 meters (108 feet) long!
Dino Street and the Dig Site
In the basement, you'll find "Dino Street." This is a walkway with real fossils from all over the world displayed on the walls. At the end of "Dino Street," there's a cool replica of a Camarasaurus skeleton. This replica shows how the bones were found in Wyoming, USA. You can see the real bones of this Camarasaurus on the first floor of the museum.
World of Dinosaurs
This is probably the most exciting part! The "World of Dinosaurs" has over 40 dinosaur skeletons. Ten of these are original fossils, which is amazing! There's also a huge diorama that shows what the Jurassic period looked like in Zigong, China. This diorama even has robotic dinosaurs that move and make sounds!
Science of the Earth
On the first floor, the "Science of the Earth" zone teaches you about our planet. You can learn about how continents move (plate tectonics), how rocks are formed, and see beautiful precious gems.
Dino Lab
The "Dino Lab" is a fun, hands-on area for kids. You can play quizzes with dinosaur fossils and even touch some real specimens. Imagine touching a real leg bone from a Tyrannosaurus! You can also look through a big window to see scientists working in the fossil preparation lab.
History of Life
On the second floor, the "History of Life" section takes you on a journey through time. It shows how life on Earth began and how it changed over millions of years. You'll see how tiny single-celled organisms slowly evolved into dinosaurs and even mammals like humans.
You can even explore the exhibition hall on Google Street View from home!
Outdoor Exhibits and Activities
Outside the museum, there are more cool things to see. You'll find different types of rocks, a fossilized tree trunk from the Triassic period, and a replica of a Tyrannosaurus skeleton lying in rocks. From spring to fall, you can even try digging for fossils yourself at the park and the field station!
How the Museum Was Built
The museum was built in Katsuyama because so many fossils have been found there. It uses many of the fossils discovered nearby. The famous architect Kisho Kurokawa designed the museum. It was finished in the summer of 2000. It was the main attraction for the Dino Expo Fukui 2000 event held in Nagaoyama Park.
The museum officially opened on July 14, 2000. It covers an area of about 30,000 square meters (322,917 sq ft). The total space inside the building is about 15,000 square meters (161,458 sq ft). This makes it one of the biggest fossil museums in Japan! The main exhibition hall is a huge dome with no pillars. This gives lots of open space to display the giant dinosaurs.
The museum cost about 14 billion Japanese Yen to build. A big part of that money was for the building itself and for all the amazing exhibits.
Sister Museums Around the World
The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum has special agreements with other dinosaur and natural history museums around the world. These are called "sister museum" agreements. They work together and share knowledge.
Here are some of its sister museums:
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Canada)
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China)- Zhejiang Museum of Natural History (China)
- Zigong Dinosaur Museum (China)
Carnegie Museum of Natural History (USA)- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (China)
- Henan Geological Museum (China)
- Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University (USA)
Sirindhorn Museum (Thailand)
See also
- Prefectural museum
- Fukuipteryx
- Fukuiraptor
- Fukuisaurus
- Fukuititan
- Fukuivenator
- Koshisaurus
- Tyrannomimus
