Okanagan residents can come face to face with ancient giants.

Vernon鈥檚 Okanagan Science Centre will host Dinosaurs Unearthed from March 4 to Aug. 31.

鈥淭his exhibition brings key new discoveries to the forefront, and shows guests how fossil discoveries translate into conclusions about dinosaur appearance and behavior,鈥� said Jim Swingle, executive director.

鈥淣ew discoveries are happening every day, so it鈥檚 a fascinating time to introduce kids to paleontology.鈥�

The exhibit is expected to attract about 25,000 visitors to the science centre.

Dinosaurs Unearthed offers a new look at the appearance of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs.  A life-size, feathered animatronic tyrannosaurus rex juvenile and a feathered deinonychus serve as the visual centerpiece of the exhibition.

鈥淭he experience emphasizes the human fascination with dinosaurs at a time when dinosaur science is accelerating at a rapid rate,鈥� said Swingle.

鈥淣ew discoveries are happening at an exponential pace compared to a century ago and common understanding about dinosaur appearance and behaviour is always being re-examined.鈥�

More than a dozen fossils from China and North America will be on display, including skulls, eggs, claws, teeth and a giant forelimb and scapula, plus a full-scale gasosaurus skeleton. The exhibition also features protoceratops, the first of the early cretaceous horned-face dinosaurs found in China.

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 staring up into the eyes of a feathered T.rex juvenile, getting hands dirty playing paleontologist in the dig site or taking in the large-scale graphics, Dinosaurs Unearthed offers a unique and exciting learning experience for guests of all ages,鈥� said Swingle.

For more information, go to www.okscience.ca or call 250-545-3644.