I brought my boyfriend out for a date with dinosaurs & it was a rawr-ing good time at Science Centre S’pore

Three years into our relationship, my boyfriend and I have done just about every kind of date you can think of in Singapore.

Picnic dates, café dates, theme park dates, hawker centre dates — you name it, we’ve probably done it.

So when I got the chance to check out Dinosaurs | Extinctions | Us (DEU), a new exhibition at Science Centre Singapore, I immediately roped him in.

We may not be hardcore dino geeks, but we're always up for something new.

Rawr.

Co-presented by Science Centre Singapore and the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum of the National University of Singapore, DEU brings together two world-renowned showcases: Dinosaurs of Patagonia and Six Extinctions.

Dinosaur greeting

We didn’t walk in expecting to be blown away but spoiler alert: we were.

Especially because of this little dude who greeted us at the entrance:

We heard Stempy, a robot dog dressed as an ankylosaurus, only makes occasional appearances — so you might just spot it if you’re lucky.

We also came face-to-femur with a life-sized Patagotitan leg bone and let’s just say, even as a tall girlie, I felt tiny.

Pretty sure I wouldn’t have lasted five minutes if I lived in the age of dinosaurs.

A journey through time to see the titans that once roamed Earth

That one massive bone already had our jaws on the floor and we hadn’t even entered the main exhibition yet.

Inside, we found 33 rare fossils and 60 full-scale models, arranged to take you through the rise and fall of prehistoric life and the five major mass extinction events that have shaped life on Earth.

Suffice to say, it left us mindblown with many wide-eyed moments as we found out more about the huge size of these animals and how they all eventually came to their end.

One of the first creatures we met was the Endoceras, a distant relative of the modern squid.

I didn’t expect to see sea monsters, but this was a surprisingly cool start.

Here, I learned that these straight-shelled cephalopods were affected by Earth’s first mass extinction around 440 million years ago, called the Ordovician extinction.

It wiped out 86 per cent of the world’s species at that time and was caused by a major glaciation or Ice Age event.

There was also a life-sized replica of the Arthropleura, the largest arthropod to ever walk the Earth.

Naturally, my boyfriend had to compare his arm span with it.

They are believed to have gone extinct in the early Permian period, around 290 million years ago.

Biggest known dinosaur fossil models

The biggest showstopper however, was the whopping 40-metre-long Patagotitan mayorum replica.

It was so massive, we couldn’t even fit it into a selfie.

Luckily, a friendly staff member offered to help us take a photo from one of the marked photo spots around the exhibition — still couldn’t quite fit all of the giant in frame though, it was just too big.

I highly recommend looking out for it if you want that perfect shot.

We also saw the actual fossil of a Patagotitan femur bone — not a replica, it’s the real deal.

And met Scotty, the largest Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever discovered at 13 metres long.

Both the Patagotitan and the Tyrannosaurus rex were creatures of the Cretaceous period.

This era’s end 66 million years ago was marked by the most well-known extinction event of all time, the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, and was caused by what has literally been one of the biggest objects of our fascination: an asteroid.

Interactive areas

One of the most unexpectedly fun parts of the exhibit was the interactive zones.

We originally thought they were catered to younger ones, but we managed to make the most of our time there.

There was a S$5 sand pit where we got to play palaeontologist and dig for a dinosaur fossil puzzle.

My 27-year-old “child” (aka my boyfriend) was laser-focused and managed to finish it within the time limit, earning a cute little dino plushie keychain as a reward.

There were also colouring stations, open play zones, and digital dino art activities.

And yes, I absolutely joined in. No way I’m letting my boyfriend have all the fun.

A gift shop is located within the exhibit, packed full of dinosaur-themed toys and souvenirs.

We wrapped up our visit with some cute snapshots at the S$10 dinosaur-themed photo booth just outside the exhibition.

Fun day out

All in all, this dinosaur date turned out to be one of the most unexpectedly fun and educational dates we’ve had.

We laughed, learned a ton, and got to experience something totally different together.

I’ve never been particularly interested in dinosaurs, but being surrounded by their massive fossils sparked a newfound curiosity about their history.

For a moment, I caught myself imagining what life would be like if humans had to coexist with these ancient giants.

At the same time, my time here also deepened my appreciation for the wildlife and species that continue to share our world today.

And you can bet that by the end of the exhibition, I was deep-diving into dinosaur facts and binge-searching related shows and movies.

Whether you’re bringing your kids, your partner, or your dino-loving best friend, the interactive elements and massive exhibits make it an awesome day out for all ages.

If you want to have some dino-mite fun like us, you can purchase tickets here.

Tickets are priced at S$25.90 for children and S$29.90 for adults for Singaporeans and permanent residents and they come with complimentary admission to Science Centre Singapore.

For all other visitors, tickets are S$39.90 for adults and S$35.90 for children.

This branded article by Science Centre Singapore got this writer ooh-ing and aah-ing over dinosaurs.

Top photos by Khine Zin Htet/Mothership