Bone up on dinosaurs

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Looking at this here photograph of the Museum of Science's triceratops, which went on exhibit last weekend, is one thing. Standing in its shadow is another experience entirely. How rare it is to be in the presence of a giant that roamed the planet 65 million years ago!

Few things appeal to the imaginations of children more than dinosaurs, so the Museum of Science has good reason to think that its new triceratops, named Cliff and on loan from a private donor for seven years, will be a big draw. (Or else there wouldn't be so many Cliff shirts and stuffed animals for sale in the gift shop.) My kids couldn't wait to see Cliff, but they didn't linger at its feet nearly as long as I did. They soon moved on to the more interactive parts of the exhibit. It's too bad that Cliff is tucked away in a corner. It ought to be treated as a museum showpiece, displayed where people could gather around and examine it from four sides.

What thrilled Liam, Aidan, and Amelia even more was "Dinosaurs Alive," the IMAX movie playing in the Mugar Omni Theatre. Scenes of paleontologists digging for bones in New Mexico and the Gobi Desert were interspersed with computer-generated segments depicting dinosaur battles. Educational, sure, but since my kids are all under 10, their favorite part of the whole trip to the museum was the 2-second shot in the film in which a seismosaurus dropped a load of fertilizer.

STEVE GREENLEE

Museum of Science. Exhibit hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. Admission: $19 adults, $17 seniors, $16 children 3-11. Imax IMAX admission: $9 adults, $8 seniors, $7 children 3-11. Discounts on combination tickets.