The Age of Dinosaurs has returned to the Brookfield Zoo, and it began on Saturday, April 4. Eighteen life-size, standing, moving, growling, shrieking creatures of the long distant past have taken up residence at Dinosaurs Alive! and will be staying through Oct. 31.
You will encounter 16 of these scientifically accurate recreations at the main exhibit area between the Children’s Zoo and the Safari Grill, with one of them, the gigantic Ruyang Yellow River Dinosaur, bellowing, swooping his tail and spitting water, on the north side of the Roosevelt Fountain.
This dinosaur is the largest animatronic dinosaur in the world, and is an eye-catching attraction all by himself, being 29.7 feet high, 22 feet wide, and 60 feet long, from nose to tail tip. The back legs alone are about 17 feet high. It took about 13,000 man-hours to put it together.
His skin, and the other dinos’ skins, are all constructed of a handmade, moldable material, hand-painted and hand-sewn onto a metal skeletal structure underneath. They were created by the company Dinosaurs Unearthed of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Soon to appear will be a Protoceratops, which will be on the East Mall, in May. According to Andre Copeland, the zoo’s interpretative programs manager, “This will be a great photo op for people, and she will lay eggs as well. Very interesting to watch, and people will get to take the eggs home with them.”
But many more dinosaurs await explorers and budding paleontologists in the main exhibition area. Here is as close as you’re ever going to get to seeing a dinosaur “paradise.”
Think of Jurassic Park coming to the Chicago Zoological Park. To walk among the dinosaurs that lived from 65-200 million years ago, just follow the big, green, slimy footprints left on the roads by a wandering Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Copeland said that some adults miss seeing the prints, but that “kids see the footprints and know right away that that’s where the dinosaurs are.”
Upon entering the Dinosaurs Alive! preserve, a flying Pteranodon hovers overhead, and signs warn visitors to “Beware of Dino Poop,” which should get some laughs from the kids. The dinos have chewed off some of the tops of wooden sign posts, too.
Fourteen dinosaurs will have between four and eight pretimed movements, with some of them able to have their movements programmed by visitors, on control boards. It’s a prehistoric jungle, with animal sounds to match, which can catch the unwary visitors by surprise, sometimes.
As expected, kids seem to love it all.
“I have to say that I like the Apatosaurus the best, because it’s the biggest,” said Jenna, 11, from Brookfield. Her friend, Meggie, 10, from Winnetka, had a different favorite: “The Allosaurus, because it roars the loudest,” she said.
However, they both stated these opinions before they saw the huge, loud, meat-eating Tyrannosaurus Rex, waiting for them at the end of the trail.
Boys’ comments ranged from “cool!” to “whoa, awesome!” Everyone loved pushing the buttons on the interactive control panels and making the dinosaurs move. Adults seem just as enthusiastic.
“It’s very good, very authentic,” said one woman, Judy, a zoo member from Wheaton, who liked the Allosaurus the best, “because his eyes open and close.”
Want to know more about these dinos? You can hear one-on-one “interviews” with all of them by calling 708-688-8954. They are currently competing for the title of “Mesozoic Idol,” and callers can cast votes for their favorite dinosaur at 708-688-8953. The winner will be announced in early November. The Tyrannosaurus Rex had an early two-vote lead, even before the exhibit opened.
Beyond the end of the trail is the Shoposaurus, where dino-related souvenirs fill the shelves in abundance. For fans of the Moldarama machines spread throughout the zoo, a dinosaur Moldarama figure will be available.
But the saurian experience isn’t over, yet. Go back to the trail leading to the entrance to Dinosaurs Alive! and see what “Dinosaurs Dead!” is like. Here junior and not-so-junior paleontologists can use brushes to sweep away soil to uncover replica dinosaur bones.
Admission for Dinosaurs Alive! is $5 for adults, and $3 for children ages 3-11. Zoo members will only pay half this cost.
