Madagascar: Ghosts of the Past at the Bruce Museum

The Bruce Museum located on One Museum Drive in Greenwich Connecticut has a new show that opens April 11 and runs through November 8 titled Madagascar: Ghosts of the Past, that only hints at the intrigue waiting for visitors to the Bruce Museum’s science gallery. Isolated for the last 88 million years, Madagascar is populated by hundreds of remarkable species that are found nowhere else on Earth.

Visitors will explore three major phases of Malagasy history and encounter a variety of living and extinct species. The exhibition includes casts of a carnivorous theropod dinosaur suspected of cannibalism and a snub-nosed plant-eating crocodilian.

Visitors will encounter giant lemurs, pygmy hippos and the elephant bird, a giant flightless species with an egg holding the volume of 150 chicken eggs!

The exhibition concludes by touching on the present, following the rapid extinction of many species as humans arrive on Madagascar.

Two science lectures are also part of this program. The first lecture on May 12 is one the molecular ecology of Madagascar’s lemurs with Dr. Andrea Baden, from Hunter College, City University of New York at 7 p.m. The second is on June 2 at 7 pm and explores the bizarre and marvelous dinosaurs and other vertebrates of Madagascar. Dr. David Krause is the lecturer. To reserve call 203-413-6757. There is a 6:30 p.m. reception for both events.

On August 16 from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. there is a Madagascar Family Day that will feature fun family activities for all ages and a performance by Erik’s Reptile Edventures. See live reptiles and amphibians from Madagascar and learn about their adaptations and the role they play in rainforest ecology and Malagasy culture. For more information about the Bruce Museum https://brucemuseum.org