The Museum of Jurassic Technology is not a common mention when people talk about the best museums or institutions in Los Angeles, though it should be. Focused on the earliest period of the Jurassic epochs, the museum looks at a period that ended over 170 million years ago. Here are some reasons why Jurassic Technology is one of the area’s best kept secrets.

It’s Dual-Purpose

The Museum of Jurassic Technology serves academics as a specialized institution focusing on relics and artifacts from the Lower Jurassic, which is the oldest in three main epochs of Jurassic history. The museum is also a popular place for Los Angeles locals and travelers to learn about the Jurassic geologic time period, which overlapped the Mesozoic Era, and the Age of the Reptiles.

Exhibits From The Permanent Collection

The Museum of Jurassic Technology has a small gallery in the entry foyer that exhibits pieces from the permanent collections. These collections range are always related to science and natural history. One example of these exhibits is Megaponera Foetens: Stink Ant of the Cameroon of West Central Africa, takes a close look at an ant indigenous to rainforests as old as two million years.

Other Exhibits

All of the other exhibits on display at the Museum of Jurassic Technology are unique, scholarly, and eye-opening. There’s one that focuses on the knowledge and symbolic cognitive abilities of bees. Another looks deep into The Napoleon Library for clues into the Jurassic period, and more go into themes like micromosaics, floral radiographs, and microminiatures.

Supporting Museums

For those who want to get a better taste for the style of museum this is, and the company it keeps, take a look at its impressive list of supporting and cooperating museums. On this list, we have the Freud Dream Museum, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Mount Wilson Observatory, The Mutter Museum, and the Museum of American Art in Berlin.

The Gift Shop

Last, but not least, no museum is complete without a proper gift shop. There’s a wide array of gifts on hand at the Museum of Jurassic Technology including relevant books, t-shirts, jewelry, museum publications, apparel, commemorative china, cards and more.