“Dad! Look!”
Three-year-old Anthony Contrades runs toward his dad as he watches a life-size tyrannosaurus rex lean down and roar.
Visitors of all ages pointed and gawked as they walked through the Phoenix Zoo’s newest exhibit, Dinosaurs in the Desert. The interactive experience features 23 dinosaurs, 17 of which are animatronic, spread out along the Desert Life Trail. Zoo members had the exclusive chance Tuesday to tour the exhibit, which opens to the public Friday.
Guests can see many different types of dinosaurs including the brachiosaurus, stegosaurus and tyrannosaurus rex. Anthony’s favorite is a t-rex because “he’s the biggest.”
Some of the dinosaurs are even named after fictional characters visitors might recognize like Cera, the triceratops.
“The kids just love the dinos,” said Mike Foley, manager of trail experiences. “One of our dinos, Cera, is based on the character from (The) Land Before Time.” Although the movie was released nearly 30 years ago, “people are still crazy about dinosaurs.”
The animatronic dinosaurs come from The Dinosaur Company which works with zoos and aquariums across the country to bring these exhibits to life. Phoenix Zoo officials said their exhibit is unique because it’s the only one set in a desert.
“This is the first time it’s being done in the desert, so we have actually chosen to paint our dinosaurs accordingly,” said Kerri Baumann, digital communication strategist with the zoo. “A number of our dinosaurs are painted like the chiricahua leopard frog, jaguars and chuckwallas that are native to Arizona or species that we are helping to conserve.”
The exhibit aims to not only teach visitors about dinosaurs in an interactive way, but it hopes to highlight the Phoenix Zoo’s conservation efforts.
“We are hoping that everyone just comes out and enjoys learning about dinosaurs and hopefully learns a little bit about conservation in the process,” Baumann said.
The grand opening of Dinosaurs in the Desert is Friday and will run through April. The exhibit is an additional $5 for general admission and $4 for zoo members. Visitors can see the dinosaurs anytime the zoo is open and the exhibit will feature holiday changes around Halloween and Christmas.
Story by Tynin Fries, Cronkite News
