Exclusive Dakotaraptor Unveiling

*** MEDIA ALERT ***

GREAT VISUALS and INTERVIEW OPPS!

FIRST public unveiling of NEWLY discovered dinosaur Dakotaraptor

at the

South Florida Science Center and Aquarium

Saturday, December 5 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.*

*or in-studio opportunities on Friday, December 4

WHO:  The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, along with adjunct curator of paleontology Robert DePalma, are collaborating on the first public display of a newly discovered dinosaur, Dakotaraptor.

WHAT:  Dakotaraptor is a newly identified giant raptor, the largest specimen to be discovered with wings, and the first physical prototype will make its debut at the Science Center on Saturday, during a special lecture by Robert DePalma.  DePalma, a local resident and Florida native, was instrumental in finding the dinosaur in the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota.  The reconstructed fossil will be on display at the Science Center during two special lectures.  Dakotaraptor ruled the Crustaceous period more than 66 million years ago. It is about 17-feet-long, making it one of the largest raptors in the world.  Dakotaraptor coexisted with T.rex, Triceratops, and Edmontosaurus.

The new raptor is exceptional because:

·         It is the largest raptor with confirmed wing feathers; the forearms had “quill knobs” for feather attachment

·         It is the first giant raptor from the Hell Creek Formation and the only one from the latest-Cretaceous worldwide

·         It is among the largest of any raptor in the world (~17 feet long)

WHERE:  South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, 4801 Dreher Trail North; West Palm Beach, FL 33405

WHEN:Saturday, December 5, 2015

Lectures by Robert DePalma will be open to the public at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

*media are welcome to join at this time or schedule advance in-studio opportunities on Friday morning

WHY:  The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium’s mission is to “open every mind to science.”  The Science Center meets this mission through a variety of educational opportunities, family events, lecture series and more. The public unveiling of a newly discovered dinosaur is a perfect compliment to the current traveling exhibition, Dinosaurs Around the World, which features more than a dozen life-size and life-like animatronic dinosaurs.

PUBLIC CONTACT:  South Florida Science Center and Aquarium; www.sfsciencecenter.org or 561-832-1988

PRESS CONTACT:Meredith Westheimer, Slatkow & Husak Public Relations, [email protected] or 561-213-8192.