Choose your own Cretaceous adventure

Think you could survive among the dinosaurs? Take the time travel challenge and find out …

Oops! You’ve travelled back in time—really far back.

Your plan was to rewind and enjoy the weekend a little longer, but your time machine has malfunctioned (again!) and now you’re stuck … in the Cretaceous period!

Your GPS puts you somewhere in the area known as Hell Creek. Now that sounds inviting. You climb out and begin to explore.

It looks like you’re in a forest …

All you have with you is a water bottle and the hat on your head.

Choose one item to make your time in Hell Creek easier:

A scarf and puffer jacket.

The climate in Hell Creek during the Cretaceous was hot and humid. Not much use for your puffy jacket. Maybe roll it up and use it as a pillow?

Mobile phone.

Hmmm, you might find reception a bit patchy in the Cretaceous period. But at least you’ve got a few hours to play your favourite game before the battery runs out!

A lightweight shirt.

Good choice. In the hot climate of Hell Creek you’ll need to stay cool. But maybe choose one in green … until you’ve met the neighbours you may not want to stand out from the crowd.

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Looks like it’s getting dark so you might as well make yourself at home here in the Cretaceous.

What’s the best plan for getting through your first night?

Hide! The scariest dinosaurs come out at night.

We know many small mammals of the Cretaceous were nocturnal and avoided larger predators by hunting at night. So it’s probably not true that the scariest dinosaurs were on the hunt, and the nocturnal mammals you’d run into may be just as scared of you as of you are of them!

Explore! Dinosaurs can’t see in the dark.

While many dinosaurs probably slept at night, scientists think there were also nocturnal dinosaurs—and some may have hunted at dusk and dawn, just like some modern animals. On the other hand, many small mammals of the Cretaceous were active at night, so you might like to follow their lead … if you can see where you’re going!

Collect food! This is a good time to find something to eat.

Like the small mammals of the Cretaceous, you could set out in the dark to find some food. Did you remember to pack a torch?

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You’ve survived your first night in the Cretaceous. But you’re so hungry! You head to the water to catch a fish. What do you need to look out for?

Flesh-eating turtles.

There were plenty of turtles in the Late Cretaceous, but while they are omnivorous (meaning they eat both meat and plants) they’re mostly interested in eating small invertebrates and will steer clear of you.

Crocodiles.

Crocodiles were common in Hell Creek during the Cretaceous—and look out because some of them were three metres long!

Land sharks.

Yes, there were sharks in Hell Creek—but lucky for you, none of them could walk. Still, the crocodiles should be enough to keep you on your toes.

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Just as you’re starting to feel at home a sound rumbles through the forest. A huge creature is coming your way. It might be a T. rex! What should you do?

Scream! T. rex is startled by loud sounds.

Screaming isn’t going to help—but it may not hurt either. Scientists have evidence that dinosaurs could hear only low frequency sound, so T. rex may not even notice the high pitch of a human scream.

Run! T. rex is scary, but it can’t run very fast.

This sounds like a terrible idea. Outrun a T. rex? Are you kidding?

Lucky for you, it might actually make some sense. Researchers have calculated that T. rex wasn’t the speed demon we once thought. Instead, it was a fairly slow-moving dinosaur, walking at below 5km/h. But it might be a different story once it starts running. We’re not yet sure of its top speed, but it looks like you’re about to find out!

Stand still! T. rex can’t see you if you’re not moving.

Don’t believe everything you see in movies! T. rex had eyes like a hawk—better, in fact. Scientists now think it could make out objects as far away as 6km, that’s way better than human eyesight.

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At last, the huge creature comes into view and it’s not T.rex—phew! But it is still scary because … it’s a Triceratops! What’s your next move?

Pretend to be a tree!

Triceratops was a herbivore, which means it ate plants. The good news: it’s not going to eat you. The bad news: if you stand around looking like a tree, you just might find yourself in the way of Triceratops’ sharp beak and mighty horns.

Nothing, it’s harmless.

Sure, Triceratops isn’t going to eat you, but harmless? No way. It’s got three horns, a beak and can knock over a small tree with its huge head. You definitely don’t want it to mistake you for a predator!

Run, it might eat me!

Triceratops won’t eat you, it’s a herbivore. But getting out if its way sounds like a great idea!

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With neighbours like these, a hiding place might be in order. Somewhere out of reach of even the hungriest dinosaurs. What should you do?

Build a hut from fallen branches.

With their sharp sense of smell it’s likely a Cretaceous carnivore would pick up on your scent and uncover your hiding place. T. rex is thought to have had a particularly good sense of smell, so look out!

Find a burrow dug into the ground.

Great idea. Many smaller creatures survived by digging burrows and hiding under the ground. Just make sure you choose an empty one!

Climb up a high tree.

A tree could be a good place to hide. Climb up high where smaller carnivores can’t reach you and stay hidden from flying predators by the forest canopy. But make sure you’re well above the height where a hungry T. rex might pick you off.

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You notice a bright light in the night sky. Actually, it’s getting brighter. Could that be … ? Yes—it’s the asteroid! What do you do?

Run into the water.

The asteroid impact has set off huge waves and a wall of water is about to fling fish up onto the land. So … maybe run the other way?

Hide in a cave.

Hiding in a cave sounds like a good idea. At least you’ll avoid the debris of the explosion that’s about to rain down!

Climb up a tree.

The asteroid has crashed into the Earth sending super-hot melted rocks into the air and when they rain down they’re going to set the forest on fire … so a tree may not be your best choice!

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Alright, this is getting tough.

The asteroid has devastated the forest. Trees have burned, there’s acid rain and so much dust you can no longer see the sun. Plus, it’s about to get really cold. So let’s make this easier: Choose an adaptation that will help you survive …

Learn to burrow.

Great idea. Animals that can burrow will be better able to escape the worst of both fire and cold weather.

Become really small.

Good choice. Animals that are too big will die out because there’s not enough to eat. And as a bonus you’ll be able to hide in small places.

Learn to live underwater.

Nice choice. Being able to live both in and out of water, like crocodiles and turtles, will be a big advantage.

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Phew! You’ve survived the asteroid strike.

And there’s more good news. It turns out your time machine runs on a rare element called iridium—the same element that the asteroid released into the Earth’s atmosphere!

Now it’s time to get out of here. Where would you like to travel next?

I’m going straight back home, thanks.

Good idea. And maybe take a shower, it’s been a while …

I’m heading way into the future!

You are? Let us know if scientists ever bring back the dinosaurs …

I’m going back to the Cretaceous to do it all again!

Okay then, good luck!

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Congratulations, you’ve escaped the Cretaceous period.

But it looks like your time machine is still on the blink ... you’ve landed right back at Melbourne Museum. Since you’re already here, why not take a look around?

Well done.

Nice work, time traveller.

Palaeoart by Rebecca Dart