Visitors to the Peabody Museum of Natural History will have the chance to play detective, pretend they are real paleontologists and don their own creations of hats in the shape of a triceratops during "Dinosaur Days," the annual celebration of the museum's dinosaur collections, taking place Monday-Friday, Feb. 15-19.

The five days of fun will also include opportunities to talk to real paleontologists about their work in the field, observe the work of a museum preparator as she uncovers a buried fossil and touch real specimens and casts, including dinosaur eggs and skin and a tooth from a Tyrannosaurus rex.

The final round of the Peabody Museum's annual "Paleo-Knowledge Bowl," in which Connecticut students can show off their knowledge of paleontology, will kick off the opening of "Dinosaur Days" on Monday at 1:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of Dinosaurs. The oral competition will feature a three-student team from the North Haven Middle School and a three-student team from St. Gregory the Great School in Redding. These two teams advanced to the final stage of the competition by beating out rivals in the earlier two rounds of the bowl, which began Jan. 31. The competition is open to Connecticut students between the ages of 10 and 12 who compete as a member of a school team. John H. Ostrom, curator emeritus of vertebrate paleontology at the Peabody Museum, will present members of the winning team with an autographed copy of the guidebook "The Age of Reptiles", membership in the Peabody Museum, a framed dinosaur mural poster for their classroom and other prizes.

All events during "Dinosaur Days" are free with the price of museum admission. With the exception of the Paleo-Knowledge Bowl, the events take place daily. The following activities will be offered.

"Fossil Dig" -- Museum visitors will dig for fossils ("finds" will include sharks' teeth, ammonites, trilobites and genuine fossil dinosaur bone fragments) and then learn about their discoveries. Participants can take home the objects they have "found." The event will be offered daily 10 a.m.-
1 p.m. in the first-floor Hall of Mammals.

"See a Fossil Preparator at Work" -- Participants will join Marilyn Fox, the preparator in the Peabody Museum's division of vertebrate paleontology, as she demonstrates the techniques she uses in her work. As part of her demonstration, Fox, who was a member of the team of scientists that recently discovered fossilized dinosaur eggs in Argentina, will "uncover" a still-buried fossil. (See related story, above.) She will make her presentation daily 1-3 p.m. in the Great Hall of Dinosaurs.

"Fossil Touch Table" -- Throughout each day of the five-day celebration, visitors can learn more about the Peabody Museum's exhibits by touching real specimens and casts.

"Roxi and the Dinosaurs" -- Betty Baisden will present her popular puppet show about a pirate named Billy who, after disappearing in Roxi Fox's time machine, must be rescued from a tyrannosaurus with a terrible toothache. The show will be offered daily at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the third-floor auditorium. Seating is limited.

"Meet the Scientists" -- Graduate students from the paleontology divisions of the Peabody Museum will show sample specimens and answer questions about their work finding and identifying fossils.

"Make a Dinosaur Hat" -- On an outline of a Triceratops, youngsters can add color to make their own creations. Hat-making will take place daily in the third-floor Hall of Connecticut Birds.

All museum visitors during "Dinosaur Days" will receive a copy of "Tyrannosaurus Times," a newspaper with "missing" and scrambled information. Both the young and old can help unscramble some of the mysterious print and locate the missing information as they view the exhibits and take part in "Dinosaur Days" activities.

The Peabody Museum of Natural History, located at 170 Whitney Ave., is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. For information on admission, events and parking, call 432-5050 or visit the museum's website at www.peabody.yale.edu.

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