Raptors

Fierce & Feathered

Before Birds, There Were Raptors. 

Raptor dinosaurs have long captured our imagination, from their blockbuster fame in the hit film Jurassic Park, to inspiring our hometown basketball franchise, to must-see museum specimens in ROM’s own James & Louise Temerty Gallery of the Age of Dinosaurs. But there’s so much more to these incredible fossil animals than their fame and popularity, they have fundamentally reshaped our scientific understanding of dinosaur biology, behaviour, and evolution. 

Raptors occupy a unique and important place in the dinosaur family tree as the group most closely related to living birds. As such, they show a mix of features that link dinosaurs and birds in a thought-provoking way. In a fascinating example of evolution repeating itself, modern birds of prey, such as hawks and eagles, have independently evolved some of the same features found in raptor dinosaurs, including specialized feet with an enlarged claw and hunting strategies. 

This ROM-original exhibition brings these prehistoric icons to life through stunning casts, real fossils, hands-on activities, and a large-scale immersive experience where you can step into the Hell Creek forest ecosystem and experience life with a group of Acheroraptor. This is a rare opportunity to experience one of Earth’s most legendary dinosaur species and uncover their lasting connection to the birds we know today.