Natural History Museum Changes Dinosaur Display After 10-Year-Old Points Out Mistake

Charlie Edwards is 10 now, but he’s wanted to be a paleontologist since he was just 3 years old. Recently, his nearly lifelong dinosaur obsession paid off in a big way. Charlie Edwards with one of his dinosaur toys CREDIT: EAST NEWS PRESS AGENCY (The Telegraph UK) Charlie was attending a birthday sleepover at the “Dino Snores for Kids” attraction at the Natural History Museum in London when he noticed a sign illustrating the size difference between a human and an Oviraptor. But Charlie noticed a problem: The dinosaur shown on the sign was not an Oviraptor. Charlie Edwards (right) at the museum with younger brother Ronnie (left). Words CREDIT: EAST NEWS PRESS AGENCY (The Telegraph UK) “Charlie said, ‘that’s wrong’ and I said ‘what do you mean?'” Charlie’s mom, Jade, told The Telegraph. “He said ‘this part here is not right, that’s not an Oviraptor.’ I said to him, ‘This is the Natural History Museum. I know you’re really good with your dinosaur information but I’m not sure if you’re right.'” Jade said that, despite her reassurances, Charlie was adamant that the museum had made an error, repeating, “I’m telling you, I’m right.” So when the family got home from the sleepover, Charlie’s parents sent a quick email to the museum asking if Charlie was indeed correct. To their surprise, the museum replied with a letter informing them that Charlie was right, thanking him for his diligence, and assuring him they would make the necessary changes to the sign to reflect the correct information. Museum staff had mistakenly used a silhouette of a Protoceratops which was a sheep-sized herbivore. The incorrect sign that Charlie spotted CREDIT: EAST NEWS PRESS AGENCY (The Telegraph UK) To Charlie, the confirmation came as no surprise. “I saw the side-by-side comparison to a human and…the name was not right,” Charlie said. “The name they had was Oviraptor but the dinosaur silhouette showed what was most likely a Protoceratops. I knew from reading my books it was not right so I told my mum and dad.” Here are the two dinosaurs for comparison. The Oviraptor… View this post on Instagram A post shared by Darius (@gwyndor_) …and the Protoceratops: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Madi (@rhunevild) A spokesperson for the museum released the following statement in light of Charlie’s discovery: “The Museum was recently made aware of a mistake in one of our dinosaur galleries. This has now been raised with our exhibitions team, and we will change this as soon as possible. Scientific research and our understanding of the natural world are constantly changing and the Dinosaurs gallery has been refurbished several times to reflect this. Unfortunately, in the process, an error has been made. We are very impressed with Charlie’s knowledge and hope his passion for paleontology continues.” Jade, a full-time mother, added: "They sent him a lovely letter saying that Charlie was correct and they are going to change it Charlie received from The Natural History Museum confirming their mistake CREDIT: EAST NEWS PRESS AGENCY (The Telegraph UK) "We should have realized he would have been right, he loves his dinosaurs." "I am really really proud of him. Charlie has Asperger's syndrome and tends to find a subject he loves and tries to learn so much about it so it's really nice that he's been able to show what he's learned and that knowledge base. "He was beaming from ear to ear." Charlie Edwards with his dinosaur toys CREDIT: EAST NEWS PRESS AGENCY (The Telegraph UK) Stay tuned for Charlie’s next groundbreaking discoveries, which are sure to make more headlines over the years. (Read Full Story from: SimpleMostand The Telegraph) If you LIKE this story, please SHARE this story!

Related:

(Read Full Story from: SimpleMostand The Telegraph)

If you LIKE this story, please SHARE this story!