Outside the Museum
Enter the world where art meets science, and grab a fun photo opportunity while you're there!
Carved Facade
The front of the Victoria Memorial Museum Building is practically encrusted with art: carved sandstone depicts a variety of animals and plants, and also frames the doors and windows. This moose (Alces alces) is one of a pair over the front entrance.
Dinosaur Models
Life-sized models of a dinosaur mother and her baby on the eastern lawn complement the family group found indoors in our Talisman Energy Fossil Gallery. The mother Chasmosaurus irvinensis is 4.5 m long and 2.1 m high at the shoulders. Her baby, about 1.2 m long, is posed protectively at her side, and stands almost 1 m high. The money to construct these two models was donated by Nature's staff members. Read the Amazing Story of the identification of the species (at Nature!).
Woolly Mammoth Models
Life-sized models of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) on the western lawn portray an adult male, a mother and her baby. The models are based on real specimens, including the only known specimen of a baby woolly mammoth. The adult male is the largest, measuring 3.5 m to the top of the head and 4.7 m long.
Dinosaur Tracks
A cast of a dinosaur footprint was made from a 112-million-year-old, holotype specimen in our collection. The single footprint was identified as Amblydactylus gethingi. It originated from rocks of the Early Cretaceous Period in the Peace River Canyon, B.C. Look for it on the lawn near Metcalfe and McLeod Streets.
Stained-Glass Windows
Carved sandstone frames the many stained-glass windows. Most depict stylized roses, fruits and leaves. The glazing over the centre doors of the main entrance also represents several branches of the arts and sciences.