Wollemi Pine
Araucaria mirabilis cone (160 M.Y.)
Cerro Cuadrado - Patagonia
Halobacterium sp. [The HaloEd Project]
Photo graciously given by Dr. Priya DasSarma
Exhibitions
Opening Hours
Weekdays only, 9.00-12.30 e das 14.00-17.30
The entrance is free of charge.
Present Exhibition
The Past is Present
or
A Long Story of Living Fossils
The exhibition is built around one of the most extraordinary living fossils – the Wollemi Pine. The ancestors of these plants lived among the great dinosaurs and their contemporary descendants were discovered alive in a remote canyon near Sydney, the biggest city of Australia, in 1994.
The plant that now lives in Beja was bought in a Sotheby´s auction held in Sydney in October 2005. This was the first Sotheby´s auction that sold living plants since Sotheby´s foundation in 1744.
The visitor can see another 120 items related with fossil and living fossils such as: Ginkgo, Metassequoia, Limulus, Nautilus, Cycas, Welwitschia, Halobacterium, etc.
The exhibition includes samples of coal, petroleum, amber, one fossil pine of Araucaria mirabilis with 160 million years, stereoscopic photos of the Petrified Forest National Parque - Arizona (USA) and also show how the fossils are related with the ancient Greek oracle of Delphi, the legendary Amber Room of Catherine the Great Palace in San Petersburg and the mythic Unicorn.
The exhibition has the gracious supported of Mediterranica Store – Fósseis (Castro Verde)
Photos of the exhibitions (click here)
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