Earth's 'giants': The new exhibition of prehistoric animals, including woolly mammoth, coming to Scotland

An “immersive” exhibition of giant creatures over the past 66 million years is to open to the public in Edinburgh.

Giants is to go on show at the National Museum of Scotland in January, featuring life-sized 3D models and nearly complete skeletons on a journey through time. The exhibitions will span from 66 million years ago to the present day, with visitors to encounter the enormous creatures that roamed the Earth after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The exhibition, developed by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and toured by Nomad Exhibitions, features life-sized 3D models and nearly complete skeletons.

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Models to go on display include the formidable Otodus megalodon, the mightiest shark of all time, the Mammuthus primigenius or woolly mammoth, weighing in at between six and eight tons with long thick fur and imposing tusks, and Gigantopithecus blacki, an Asian primate comparable in size to three orangutans.

This life-sized 3D model of a mammoth is to feature in the new Giants exhibition. | NMS

Dr Nick Fraser, keeper of natural sciences at National Museums Scotland (NMS), said: “We’re really looking forward to bringing Giants to Scotland next year. Popular attention on prehistoric life tends to focus either on dinosaurs or on our own earliest human ancestors, which leaves a relatively neglected gap of around 60 million years of natural history.

“Giants is a striking invitation to us all to think about that period, to see how nature adapts over time, and also to reflect on the ways in which current human activity is denying that time to today’s endangered giants.”

Interactive elements allow visitors of all ages to step into the shoes of palaeontologists and biologists, engaging with the scientific processes behind fossil discovery and reconstruction.

Meanwhile, immersive projections transport audiences into the natural habitats of these colossal beings, providing context to their existence and eventual extinction.

Life-sized 3D model of a megalodon. | NMS

New giants have emerged since the age of the dinosaurs, such as elephants, rhinoceroses and whales, but experts have warned they are now too under threat of extinction. NMS said the exhibition also serves as a poignant reminder of nature’s fragility and the urgent need to protect these animals for future generations.

The models featured in the exhibition were created by company Fisheye, which used polygonal shapes to create a 3D effect. The inner steel structure is finished with a recycled felt plane onto which prints and audio-visual screens were integrated.

The tour will also include Birmingham Museum, where it will open in August.

Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “This inspiring installation not only captures the imagination with its monumental scale, but also delivers a vital message about sustainability and our shared responsibility to protect the planet.”

The announcement coincides with World Environment Day on Thursday, which this year is focused on ending plastic pollution.