Dinosaur Encounters

Have a dinosaur encounter with our engaging and fun live performance featuring NHM's life-size dinosaur puppets. Our large-scale, realistic T. rex and Triceratops puppets capture the imaginations of audiences in performances each week. Each show explores a different theme. Thanks to the expertise of NHM's paleontologists and puppeteers, you can experience how these prehistoric animals lived. 

Learn more about on our new Ocean Encounters show, now open in the NHM Commons theater!
 

Dinosaur Encounters is family friendly, and each presentation is around 15 minutes long. The show is general admission, standing room only. ADA Accommodations Available. Please inquire with an associate upon arrival.

Meet our Dinosaurs

"HUNTER" THE T. REX 
Hunter is a life-like full-body puppet based on the juvenile specimen in the T. rex growth series on view in the our Dinosaur Hall.

Covering Hunter are “proto-feathers.”  Dinosaurs and birds share a common ancestor, and it has been hypothesized that a juvenile T. rex may have had downy feathers to keep warm. As an apex predator, Hunter is always on the lookout for a good meal.

"DAKOTA" THE TRICERATOPS
Dakota is a realistic large-scale puppet of a juvenile Triceratops specimen.  She is named after the great state of South Dakota where Triceratops is the state fossil.  

Please note these are not small hand puppets. The Museum's puppets are very large, realistic interpretations of wild animals. Please prepare small children accordingly.

Dinosaur Encounters Sensory-Friendly Show

Our sensory-friendly Dinosaur Encounters performance provides a warm welcome to guests who need a little less stimulating environment and the opportunity to move around during the show.