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The Hong Kong Space Museum will screen the latest Omnimax show, "Flying Monsters", from tomorrow (September 1) until February 28 next year. During the show, audiences will soar high into the sky with the largest pterosaur ever and unravel the mystery of how these gigantic creatures could fly.
Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to fly, and they dominated the sky for 150 million years. The Omnimax show "Flying Monsters" will take the audience back to the Mesozoic era 220 million years ago to explore how pterosaurs evolved from reptiles as small as lizards into magnificent flying creatures.
Pterosaurs have been classified into different types based on their unique appearance and characteristics. The Darwinopterus, for example, had a head with a length nearly equal to that of its body, meaning it had a highly evolved brain. The Tapejara had a huge head crest that served many purposes: to help in manoeuvring in flight, to be used as a sail in water, and to be displayed for courtship. With a size similar to that of a glider, the Quetzalcoatlus was the largest animal ever to fly yet it was no heavier than two humans. These huge and magnificent creatures were once the rulers of the sky, but why did they vanish so suddenly? The mysteries of the pterosaurs have puzzled scientists and led them to study the creatures for many years.
Renowned naturalist David Attenborough will take the audience to different parts of the world to look for fossils of the pterosaurs so as to allow a better understanding of the evolution of these huge prehistoric beasts as well as their amazing body structures. State-of-the-art technology will be used to unveil the mysteries of the pterosaurs that have puzzled scientists for decades.
Through the use of advanced computer animation technology, the early pterosaurs will appear before the audience. The film not only reproduces the skeleton of a Dimorphodon fossil found in the early 19th century, but also demonstrates the difficulties these long-tailed pterosaurs encountered when walking on the ground.
The 39-minute "Flying Monsters" will be screened at 1.30pm, 5pm and 8.30pm daily at the museum's Stanley Ho Space Theatre. The museum is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays). Tickets are available at the Hong Kong Space Museum Box Office and at all URBTIX outlets for $24 (front stalls) and $32 (stalls). Full-time students, senior citizens and people with disabilities will receive a half-price concession.
The Hong Kong Space Museum is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. For further information, call 2721 0226 or visit the website at omnimax.hk.space.museum.
Ends/Friday, August 31, 2012
Issued at HKT 19:50
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