Pterosaur exhibition - Japan

["Unwin, Dr D.M." <dmu1@leicester.ac.uk>]

Pterosaur Exhibition: Japan

A new pterosaur exhibition opened in the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History 
and Human History on July 6th. 

The exhibition is based in part on The Pterosaurs (available from all good book 
stores and eBay for less than a burger...sob...)
and features lots of original specimens (principally from China, South America, 
Germany and Japan) and some terrific reconstructions including life size models 
of Quetzalcoatlus hung at head height. There are some great animations and the 
whole thing is set off by lots of Todd Marshall's excellent paintings. At 600 
Yen per person its a snip. 

The exhibition is in Kitakyushu until September and then goes on tour as 
follows:

Osaka Museum of Natural History (Osaka City)?2007/9/15?11/25
Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture (Nagasaki
City)?2007/12/19?2008/2/24
Nagoya City Science Museum (Nagoya City)?2008/3/20?6/15
Miraikan, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
(Tokyo)?2008/6/28?8/31 

You can access information on the exhibition on the Kitakyushu Museum web site 
at: http://www.kmnh.jp/index.php, 
although please note that this is all in Japanese. Still, there are some 
pictures including one of the opening ceremony with a Bill Clinton look-a-like. 
You can also find pictures of some of the pterosaurs including Jeholopterus 
which has beautifully preserved wing membranes that attach to the legs and even 
a cruropatagium, although apparently these become invisible in Photoshop just 
like those of Sordes, Rhamphorhynchus, Pterodactlyus...   

There is a very nice, well illustrated guidebook, but you need to contact the 
museum if you want a copy, not me. 

The man with the golden scissors.

_____________________________________________________________________
David M. Unwin
Department of Museum Studies
University of Leicester
105 Princess Road East
LEICESTER LE1 7LG
UK
Email:     dmu1@le.ac.uk  
Work tel: +44 116 252 3947
Dept tel:  +44 116 252 3963
Fax:        +44 116 252 3960
http://www.le.ac.uk/ms/contactus/davidunwin.html

Live in Europe and interested in visiting major European natural history 
collections?
Go to: www.synthesys.info

Would you like to catch up on the latest ideas about pterodactyls?
Read: The Pterosaurs
http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780131463080,00.html
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