Dinosaurs on display at Te Papa museum in Wellington

Getting up close to a flesh-eating dinosaur. Photo / supplied

Te Papa museum in Wellington is currently hosting the largest visitor to ever squeeze inside its doors.

At 30m long from nose to tail, Patagotitan mayorum would have weighed about the same as 14 fully grown elephants, or 57 tonnes.

And it may be an assemblage of bones, but at 100 million years old, Patagotitan qualifies as one of the museum’s oldest visitors, too.

The star attraction of the Dinosaurs of Patagonia exhibit was discovered just over a decade ago by a farm labourer in western Argentina.

Patagotitan was 30m long and weighed 57 tonnes.

Over the following years, various expeditions uncovered over 200 fossils from the site, eventually leading to the identification of a new species of sauropod (lizard-hipped dinosaur) being announced in 2017.

The scary dimensions of Patagotitan belies its true nature - it lived in the forest and ate plants.

But an exhibition of dinosaurs would be lacking without something to be truly frightened of, and Dinosaurs of Patagonia doesn’t disappoint.

The hair-raising Tyrannotitan is slightly older at 120 million years, and would “only” have been about 12m long, tipping the scales at “just” six tonnes. But it’s chisel-like teeth could rip the flesh off bones with the ease of the proverbial hot knife through butter.

Tyrannotitan had chisel-like teeth that could lice through flesh like a hot knife through butter. Photo / supplied

Fortunately, visitors will not have to experience these things for themselves. A fully immersive and interactive display allows for in-depth discovery devoid of concurrent running and screaming.

“These Patagonian giants are some of the most important dinosaur discoveries of all time,” said Dr Felix Marx, a palaeontologist at Te Papa and discoverer of extinct species himself. “The sheer scale of these animals is mind-blowing, and they give us incredible new insights into dinosaur evolution.”

Marx says the exhibition is an extraordinary opportunity for New Zealanders to see and learn about dinosaurs from the Southern Hemisphere.

“These dinosaurs once walked the continent of Gondwana - they are giants from our own backyard,” he said.

Te Papa is noted for its incredible family-friendly and interactive displays, and Dinosaurs of Patagonia is no exception.

The family-friendly fully immersive and interactive display has something for everyone.

“Te Papa visitors expect a ‘wow’ factor, and that’s exactly what this show will deliver,” said Te Papa tumu whakarae [chief executive] Courtney Johnson. “For so many people, a love of dinosaurs sparks a life-long love of science and learning.”

Other highlights from the exhibition include an ancient dinosaur from 180 million years ago and one of the smallest, Manidens condorensis, which was about the size of a pūkeko and weighed in at just 1kg.

In fact, it seems there’s just about something for everyone in this remarkable collection of old bones.

Dinosaurs of Patagonia is on at Te Papa museum in Wellington until April 28. Find out more at https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/visit/exhibitions/dinosaurs-patagonia.