Woodland Park Zoo’s latest exhibit is not about live animals. Instead, it will feature life-size animatronic dinosaurs.
Photo courtesy Billings Productions, Inc.
“Dinosaurs: Real Close” opens April 30 and runs through Sept. 5.
The limited-engagement, outdoor exhibit setting will evoke a primeval forest where visitors will encounter the mighty dinosaurs, from the 19-foot-tall herbivore Brachiosaurus to a full-size, fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex. Visitors will encounter more than 10 dinosaurs representing seven species that once roamed North America throughout the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods.
See the brilliant colors, scales and fins that latest scientific research reveals may have adorned these incredible beasts. Learn about the amazing adaptations that allowed them to thrive for millions of years and that connect them to modern birds today. Spy the next generation of dinosaurs with baby Tyrannosaurus, Styracosaurus and Dilophosaurus robots, and a nest full of Edmontosaurus peeping hatchlings. Then capture the once-in-an-eon experience with a Tyrannosaurus rex photo opportunity that lets you pose atop the giant. Special programs, from keeper chats to dinosaur biofact exploration, will allow visitors to dig deeper into the science of dinosaurs and find connections to some of the living species at Woodland Park Zoo.
For the curious-minded, head to Zoomazium to get an exclusive peek at the inner workings of the animatronic dinosaurs designed by Texas-based Billings Productions, Inc. There you can explore the robotic wizardry beneath the shell of a dinosaur robot and even try your hand at operating it.
Though dinosaurs ruled for more than 165 million years, their well known die-off helps to shine a light on the massive extinction crisis many species are facing today, from birds—now accepted by scientists as modern dinosaurs—to turtles, a group that outlived dinosaurs yet today is going extinct faster than any other vertebrate terrestrial. Visitors to the exhibit will learn about the current extinction crisis and the ways Woodland Park Zoo is working to protect wildlife around the globe and in our own backyard.
The dinosaurs exhibit will be adjacent to the North Meadow, directly inside the West Entrance on Phinney Avenue North, between North 55th and North 56th streets. The exhibit costs $3, in addition to zoo admission. Ticket holders receive unlimited free re-entry to the exhibit on the day of purchase.
