For the next few months, the Main Library is going to have some pretty unusual guests.
Columbus Metropolitan Library is bringing a collection of large-scale prehistoric predator models to its Main Library from Aug. 11 through Oct. 29, giving visitors the chance to come face-to-face with creatures that haven’t walked the Earth in thousands, or in some cases millions, of years.
The free exhibit includes a 12-foot-tall giant bear, an 8-foot-tall terror bird, an 8-foot-long sea scorpion, a 7-foot-tall dire wolf and a 4-foot-tall Smilodon, better known as a saber-toothed cat.
So basically, your next trip to the library could involve a run-in with something significantly scarier than a book that’s overdue.
CML will also host staff-led programs throughout the exhibit, with prehistoric-themed books available for visitors to check out. The exhibit is free.
And while not all of these animals actually lived in Ohio, the Buckeye State has its own pretty impressive prehistoric history.
Ohio Was Home To Some Wild Creatures, Too
When it comes to prehistoric Ohio, the mastodon tends to get most of the attention. These massive relatives of modern elephants lived throughout the state during the Ice Age, and Ohio has produced a remarkable number of mastodon fossils.
But they weren’t the only giants around.
Ohio was once home to mammoths, giant beavers, ground sloths, muskoxen, stag-moose, short-faced bears and dire wolves, among other Ice Age animals.
Yes, you heard me correctly. Giant. Beavers.
The aptly named Castoroides ohioensis was about the size of a black bear and had enormous front teeth. The species was actually first discovered in Ohio in 1837. Scientists aren’t entirely sure what those massive incisors were used for, but they probably weren’t spending their days building giant Ohio subdivisions out of sticks.
Ohio’s prehistoric predators were pretty impressive, too. Dire wolves roamed the state during the Ice Age, while the enormous short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) was one of the largest land carnivores in North America.
Where To See Prehistoric Animals Around Columbus
You don’t have to wait for the library exhibit to get your prehistoric-animal fix.
The Ohio History Center has a reconstructed mastodon skeleton on display, along with exhibits featuring other Ice Age animals that once lived in Ohio.
And at Ohio State’s Orton Geological Museum, you can see a reconstructed skeleton of Cryolophosaurus, a dinosaur that lived roughly 170 million years ago in what is now Antarctica. The museum also has the reconstructed skeleton of a Jefferson’s ground sloth found in Holmes County, making it a particularly good place to see some of Ohio’s prehistoric history.
Both museums are free to visit, so you can make a whole little prehistoric tour out of it.
But first, don’t forget to stop by the library.
Prehistoric Predators at Columbus Metropolitan Library runs Aug. 11-Oct. 29 at the Main Library, 96 S. Grant Ave. Admission is free.
