National Geographic has for years provided its readers with unparalleled portraits of the natural world. National Geographic explores its subjects’ scientific, social and ecological significance, exposing the wonders of land and sea and space. Its articles and photography bring readers in close to see the beauty and complexity of nature.
National Geographic Live! takes audiences even closer with presentations by some of the intrepid photographers, scientists, filmmakers and adventurers who are experts in their areas of work.
Straz audiences have responded enthusiastically to previous Nat Geo Live! presentations, including Wild Florida with photographer Carlton Ward Jr. and A Century of Silence about the Tulsa race massacre. The series returns this season with three fascinating deep-dives into dinosaurs, wild cats and sharks.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing National Geographic Explorers to the Straz Center for the upcoming season,” said Emily Dunham, chief campus and experiences officer at the National Geographic Society.
This month, paleontologist Dr. Lindsay Zanno with Rise of the T. Rex. Zanno’s presentation explores how Tyrannosaurus Rex became the most feared predator in what’s now North America 66 million years ago.
Zanno is one of the world’s leading experts on the evolution of theropod dinosaurs, of which T. Rex is the most identifiable. Her explorations in the Western U.S., T. Rex’s old stomping grounds, has led to her discovery of more than a dozen new species including Siats, one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs on the continent, and Moros, North America’s tiniest tyrannosaur.
Rise of the T. Rex takes place Nov. 12 in Ferguson Hall.
The wild cats of Sandesh Kadur’s native India include the tiny Pallas’s cat – the original Grumpy Cat – and the elusive clouded leopard. The diversity of wild cats in India is matched by the diversity of its landscapes, which span the Himalaya mountains, arid plains and dense jungles.
Kadur is an award-winning filmmaker whose nature documentaries cover cloud forests, endangered sea turtles, rain forests and king cobras, among other subjects.
Kadur presents Wild Cats Revealed Jan. 16 in Ferguson Hall.
The season’s final Nat Geo Live! will be Untold Story of Sharks, featuring shark researcher Dr. Jess Cramp. Cramp explores the work of 20th century women involved in the study of sharks, before diving into her own cutting-edge research and conservation efforts. Untold Story of Sharks takes place April 15 in Ferguson Hall. Go here for tickets to a single presentation or the Nat Geo series.
