New exhibition answers the question: What did Earth look like after the dinosaurs?
Despite the devastation caused when an asteroid collided with the Earth 66 million years ago, life didn’t just survive–it evolved in wild and unexpected directions. After the Age of Dinosaurs, opening August 29, 2025, explores the fascinating story of life after the extinction of the dinosaurs (except birds), when giant snakes and tiny horses ruled a tropical Earth. Through immersive displays, scientific artwork, rare and never-before-seen fossils, and more, this exhibition transports visitors to the 15-million-year period post-asteroid, a chapter often overlooked in the story of life on Earth.
“A lot of people have a mental image of dinosaurs and the Ice Age, but not the time period represented in After the Age of Dinosaurs, which comes in between,” says exhibition developer Marie Georg. “Through an immersive experience, we can fill that gap. We tried to build in moments of interactivity and exploration.” In addition to visual aids, visitors will learn by hearing the sounds of a cataclysmic extinction event, touching the contours of fossils, and comparing their own size to long-extinct animals.
Visitors will encounter the first tropical forests dominated by flowering plants and strange but oddly familiar creatures, including the largest snake to ever live, Titanoboa, and six-foot-tall penguins.
“This exhibition is a deep dive into an area of research that doesn’t get as much attention as other ancient creatures like dinosaurs,” says exhibition co-curator and MacArthur Curator of Paleomammalogy, Ken Angielczyk. “There are animals that are quite unfamiliar to the general public but are scientifically very important.” ”
Created by the Field Museum, this exhibition takes visitors on a journey that begins with the asteroid impact. Animated videos recreate the first moments of this cataclysmic event. Visitors will then walk through the rise of lush rainforests and the diversification of mammals, exploring how evolution surged forward after the mass extinction with strange creatures that once thrived and how their world shaped the world we live in today. Along the way, visitors will be able to see dozens of real fossils of preserved animals and plants, including many from the Green River Formation in Wyoming, of which the Field has the world’s largest collection.
Artwork by Chicago artist Jay Ryan will be featured prominently throughout the exhibition. Ryan, who has made posters and album covers for musicians like the Flaming Lips and Andrew Bird, collaborated with Field Museum scientists to bring his forgotten, vibrant world to life with bold pop art-style imagery that serves as a visual guide alongside other engaging elements.
After the Age of the Dinosaurs highlights important connections to life today, especially the mass extinction currently unfolding.
“We want to show the importance of this random event that happened 66 million years ago and how it changed our planet forever,” says exhibition co-curator and Negaunee Associate Curator of Paleobotany, Fabiany Herrera. “Everything that we see today started from that moment. It shows how a random extinction can change the history of our planet, and right now, we are suffering extinction at different levels across the world.” After the Age of the Dinosaurs underscores the magnitude and importance of a mass extinction, while also highlighting the resilience of fascinating new forms of life evolving in the aftermath.
After the Age of Dinosaurs is a ticketed temporary exhibition.
Please contact press@fieldmuseum.org for more information, including access to photos.