Tyrannosauruses posing for a picture at the Tyrannosaurus Exhibition | all photos courtesy Tottori Prefectural Museum

It was a surreal scene today at the Tottori Prefectural Museum. Over a dozen Tyrannosauruses, perhaps the most fearsome animals of all time, freely roamed the halls of the museum. But thankfully they weren’t there to feed. They were there, in fact, to see the new Tyrannosaurus Exhibition which had just opened.

the head curator making opening comments before unleashing the visiting Tyrannosauruses. Perhaps he felt as if he were prey.

As it turns out, the event was an officially sanctioned day of fun by the museum, which had invited visitors to dress up in inflatable Tyrannosaurus costumes to view the newly opened Tyrannosaurus Exhibition. Tyrannosauruses roamed the exhibition halls checking out their long-extinct ancestors alongside regular visitors who must have been so confused if they did not realize what was going on.

Although the event was one-day only, the actual exhibition runs through August 28, 2022 and if you are nearby you should definitely check it out. The Tottori Prefectural Museum is located in the heart of Tottori City, and offers visitors a window into the region’s history, art, nature, and folklore (Gmap location).