“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.
An animatronic dilophosaurus is part of the Phoenix Zoo's Dinosaurs in the Desert exhibit which opens to the public on Oct. 6 and runs through April. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
Anthony Contrades, 3, looks up at the tyrannosaurus rex. He says the t-rex is his favorite dinosaur because "he's the biggest." (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
The Phoenix Zoo's Dinosaurs in the Desert exhibit features 17 animatronic dinosaurs that move and make noises. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
The diabloceratops at the Phoenix Zoo's newest exhibit is painted to reflect the desert landscape and other desert animals. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
Animatronic dinosaurs like the dilophosaurus interact with guests at the Phoenix Zoo's Dinosaurs in the Desert exhibit. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
A brachiosaurus stands above the Phoenix Zoo's Desert Life Trail as visitors look up to watch it move. The Dinosaurs in the Desert exhibit opens Oct. 6 and runs through April. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
The animatronic dilophosaurus sprays water at guests. The dinosaurs move and make noise so guests can interact with the life-size exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
Before the Dinosaurs in the Desert exhibit opened, the Phoenix Zoo held a coloring contest. The winner's design is featured on a stegosaurus. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
One of the Phoenix Zoo's "dinosaur keepers" tells guests how the animatronic dinosaurs are covered with thick "skin" to protect the robotic technology that allows them to move and make noise. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
The Phoenix Zoo's Dinosaurs in the Desert exhibit runs along the Desert Lives Trail, ending with the tyrannosaurus rex. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
An animatronic dilophosaurus sprays water at guests as part of the Phoenix Zoo's Dinosaurs in the Desert exhibit. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
The Phoenix Zoo is opening a new exhibit called Dinosaurs in the Desert which features 23 life-size dinosaurs like the utahraptor. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
Guests interact with an animatronic dinosaur at the Phoenix Zoo. The Dinosaurs in the Desert exhibit opens to the public on Oct. 6 and runs through April. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
Guests can see many 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.
Mike Foley, manager of trail experiences at the Phoenix Zoo, holds Cera, a triceratops, at the Dinosaurs in the Desert exhibit. (Photo by Tynin Fries/Cronkite News)
“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 Co., which works with zoos and aquariums across the country to bring these exhibits to life. Phoenix Zoo officials said its 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 exhibit runs through April and costs 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.
(Video by Holly Bernstein/Cronkite News)