Exhibits
Entrance Hall
The exhibits in this gallery were renovated in 2003 with funding from the Ministère de la culture et des communications (Quebec).
Back to the Sea
Torsten Bernhardt
An exhibit on marine vertebrates whose ancestors were terrestrial. Here you
will find whales, seals and sea turtles alongside extinct marine reptiles
that lived at the same time as dinosaurs, including ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs
and marine crocodiles. Together these animals show the diversity of form and
function in secondarily aquatic vertebrates.
The ancestors of all reptiles and mammals came from the sea; some groups have
subsequently returned to their original home. The Entrance Hall shows whales,
seals and turtles as well as extinct groups such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs
and mosasaurs.
The Entrance Hall also includes a general introduction to the exhibits,
centred around a diorama depicting the sea floor in the region of Montreal
during the Ordovician period, 450 million years ago.
Second floor
Dawson Gallery
The exhibits in this gallery were renovated in 2003 with funding from the
Ministère de la culture et des communications (Quebec).
Torsten Bernhardt
Teaching exhibits about the geological history and biological diversity of
Quebec from the earliest times down to the present. Material from other parts
of Canada is also included. This exhibit uses fossil specimens from the
Museum collections to show some of the most remarkable events in the history
of life on Earth: from the earliest trace fossils in the Ediacaran of
Newfoundland, to the strange creatures of the Burgess Shale that arose from
the Cambrian explosion in the Rocky Mountains. From the Devonian expansion of
life from the sea onto land at Miguasha, the Gaspé, and Joggins, Nova Scotia
to the rise of the dinosaurs in western Canada. From the mammoths of the last
ice age to the whales of the post-glacial sea that covered the St. Lawrence
Lowlands and River Valley.
Featured dinosaur specimens include a full-size Gorgosaurus
libratus, our new Triceratops skull (collected under permit
from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum), Dromaeosaurus albertensis, a
relative of the well-known Velociraptor, and the skull of
Tyrannosaurus rex.
Minerals from Quebec
The mineral exhibits in this gallery were renovated in 2003 with funding from the Ministère de la culture et des communications (Quebec).
Torsten Bernhardt
Quebec has produced a greater variety of minerals than any other region in Canada, including minerals from several world-famous localities.
Biodiversity in Quebec
From the boreal forest to our backyards, this exhibit showcases the variety of Quebec habitats and their inhabitants. Learn about the plight of species at risk of extinction and the menace presented by invasive, alien species.
Second floor
Hodgson Gallery
Torsten Bernhardt
Conchologycitus: The Abe Levine Shell CollectionShowcasing over 1,200 gem-quality shells never displayed before, this exhibit honours the philanthropy of Abe Levine, Quebec's premiere mollusc collector.
Third floor
World Cultures (Ethnology) Exhibits
K.
DobbinThere are approximately 1000 cultural objects (household and ceremonial items, ornaments, musical instruments) displayed in the Museum’s newly installed World Cultures (Ethnology) Gallery including archaeological material from ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean and 19th and 20th century artefacts from Asia, Oceania, South America, Mesoamerica, and Africa. Many of these objects have been in McGill University’s collections for over one hundred years. The Egyptian exhibits feature two New Kingdom mummies circa 1500 BCE, a Ptolemaic mummy (330-30 BCE), several mummified animals, and an interactive computer display on mummies and Ancient Egypt.
Outside the Museum
Geological Garden
Ingrid Birker
Located just to the side of the main stairs, the geological garden contains samples of minerals and fossils from Canada.
