MUJA's main collection centres around 8,000 fossils from Asturias' Jurassic period. Divided into four sections, one contains 150 traces from the coast; another has 200 fossils of dinosaurs, crocodiles, fish, and tortoises; the third has 103 vegetable fossils and eleven tree trunk fragments; and the last has approximately 6,000 invertebrate fossils. A module explains the geological history of Asturias, focusing on the Jurassic Coast and the marine levels that formed the city of
Gijón. Some of the replicas include a pair of copulating
Tyrannosaurus rex, as well as a
Giganotosaurus, one of the largest known
carnivorous dinosaurs. A sickle-clawed
Deinonychus is also featured. The largest of the finds from the Coast of Dinosaurs include the long footprint of a
theropod dinosaur, and the smallest ichnites of
sauropod dinosaurs at about length. Collections in the museum from the coastal finds also include 255 specimens of dinosaur ichnites.
Martin Lockley, a
palaeontologist of the
University of Colorado Denver, states that “the collection of ichnites of the MUJA represents one of the most complete worldwide”. ;Jurassic hall The Jurassic period, representing the intermediate period of the
Mesozoic from 200 and 145 million years ago, considered by some as the golden age of the dinosaurs, is represented in the Jurassic hall, which contains large
sauropods. The display has a unique representation through a
cladogram which defines the features of the major groups of the period. Information on display relates to anatomical features such as weight, neck bonding, arm musculature, circulatory system and the relative size of the skull. ;Types of dinosaurs The
theropod’s predatory aspects are shown in the form of their teeth and claws.
Thyreophorans exhibits depict their defensive anatomical features against predators in the form of bone shields, spikes, and tail clubs.
Camarasaurus, a large sauropod dinosaur found in central and western United States, is exhibited as it was fossilized in death. The exhibit dedicated to
ornithopods is centered on the morphological characteristics most related to their herbivorous diet; namely, a toothless snout, dental batteries, mobile skull bones, and development of cheeks and presence of hooves on their feet. Marine
Jurassic vertebrates are exhibited in the central hall alongside large reptiles such as
ichthyosaurs and
plesiosaurs, crocodiles and fish. The skeletons of an ichthyosaur, a fish-shaped reptile akin to a
dolphin, and of a
sea lily or
crinoid are also on display in separate cabinets. ;Cretaceous period In the hall representing the
Cretaceous period, the last period of the
Mesozoic era from 145 to 66 million years ago, the displays relate to the biological and social habits of dinosaurs, and the causes for their extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period, attributed to meteorite impact, volcanic eruptions and intense geographic and climatic changes. Evolution of birds from feathered theropod dinosaurs are represented by the
Archaeopteryx (a prehistoric bird) and dinosaurs such as the
Deinonychus or the
Dromaeosaurus. ;Post-Mesozoic period Post-Mesozoic, representing the last 66 million years, starting with the extinction of a major part of the dinosaurs, is the Tertiary period when reptile, mammals and modern faunas evolved in that order. A
Cantabrotherium truyolsi represents the deposit of Llamaquique, in
Oviedo. A touch screen display provides a complete history of the last 66 million years of the evolution of the landscape and ecosystems of Earth. The replica of a skull, No. 5, dated to 300,000 years, is an exhibit in the hall of the
Quaternary period. Displays in this hall also cover the decline of the brown bear habitat in the north of the
Iberian Peninsula over 500 years and the skull of a
cave bear. ;Temporary exhibitions In the basement of the museum, there is a hall where temporary exhibitions are held on different themes. Past shows were on the themes of
Asturias, Natural Paradise, the Great Adventure of Dinosaurs,
European
Rupestrian art, the Coast of Dinosaurs, Trapped in Ice, Jurassic Colossus, and 2010
Biodiversity. ==Publications==