Sur les traces des dinosaures

A unique heritage to discover

The paleontological collections of the Musée d’Angoulême are on display in the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution of the Muséum! Did you know that it was in this region, Aquitaine, that one of the largest known dinosaurs in the world was discovered?

140 million years ago, northern Aquitaine was covered with marshes, lagoons, and waterways. Since the early 2000s, paleontological research in Charente and Charente-Maritime has revealed fossil ecosystems rich in fauna and flora from the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous.

The Musée d’Angoulême thus houses remarkable paleontological collections resulting from these discoveries: more than 10,000 identified bones, 70,000 bone fragments, and 80,000 micro-remains (bones smaller than 10 mm), mainly from dinosaurs and crocodiles. It represents the finest Lower Cretaceous paleontological assemblage existing in Europe.

The exhibition

Where are dinosaurs found? How does a paleontological dig site operate? And afterward, with what tools do paleontologists prepare fossils? How do they study specimens collected in the laboratory?

By exploring the exhibition Sur les traces des dinosaures, plunge into this vanished environment where crocodiles, turtles, fish, small mammals, and herds of dinosaurs lived.

Discover a group of paleontological sites unique in France, stretching from the Île d’Oléron to Angeac-Charente. Skeletons, landscape reconstruction, film: so many elements for a great journey on the boundary between Jurassic and Cretaceous!

(Re)discover specimens from the Muséum’s collections, resonating with the collections of the Musée d’Angoulême.

Along the visit, also admire the illustrations of Pierre Mazan. The comic book author illustrates each year since its opening the behind-the-scenes work of the Angeac-Charente excavations, which has become the largest dinosaur deposit in Europe.

Curatorship

Project manager and scenographer: Béatrice Abonyi

Scientific curator: Ronan Allain

Illustrator: Mazan

Every day during school holidays (all zones) except Tuesdays.

Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays outside school holidays.