Patagonia is a point of international tourist attraction and among the topics that distinguish it is its paleontological wealth. Several "ambassadors" travel hierarchical spaces of the world with this origin, we refer to the replicas of the Titanosaur -the baptized Patagotitan mayorum-, the largest herbivorous dinosaur species so far known on our planet, discovered in 2012 in our southern territory; replicas made in the workshops of the Egidio Feruglio Paleontological Museum (Mef) that captivate diverse audiences in prestigious museums, such as the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Field Museum in Chicago.
Millions of visitors are surprised by these monumental replicas of 40 meters long and about 9 meters high -this species in life reached 70 tons in weight-, but in the city of Trelew, just a few kilometers from Puerto Madryn and its fauna An exceptional marine-famous for its whale watching and for the orca and penguin seasons-, the Mef exhibits a good part of its original skeleton, the bones that its scientists extracted from the Patagonian plateau after being deposited there by about one hundred million of years. And that giant is not alone, right there it is possible to see another monarch extinct in the mists of time, the Giganotosaurus carolinii, the largest carnivorous dinosaur in the world, also located in this unique geography; to size it let's say that it is still larger than the famous Tyrannosaurus rex of the northern hemisphere.
The Giganotosaurus opens its mouth and everything gets smaller. Photography: courtesy Egidio Feruglio Museum.
A true national pride, the Egidio Feruglio Paleontological Museum was born as a private institution in the late 1980s - it did so in the premises of a disused furniture store, always in the city of Trelew - promoted from its origins by its founder and current director, the scientist Rubén Cúneo. A little less than ten years later it was transferred to its current headquarters, which right now they are striving to double in their total area and triple in terms of exhibition space, an incredible feat for our country, and so far from Buenos Aires. Aires… To dimension the new building, we note that the exhibition space today is 600 m2 and also has areas for research, laboratories, a library, a fossil repair shop and for the public, a micro-cinema, a shopping patio and a confectionery.
In addition, from the museum you can participate in a guided visit to the Bryn Gwyn Paleontological Park, located on the south bank of the Chubut River, a place rich in 40 million-year-old fossils that offers the possibility of appreciating those testimonies under the control of the guides. And let's say it with emphasis, the Mef is not only a museum, but also a scientific research center of international prestige.
Did you know about this attractive museum? We assure you that you will fully enjoy it, and as a simple preview we propose this video, where you will notice the scientific basis that gives meaning to all its museum development. See video
140 Fontana Av. Trelew. Chubut province. Argentina.