Piston-Powered Dinosaurs

For the fifth summer since 2003 the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is transforming itself into Jurassic Park with its "Dinosaurs!" exhibit open May 6 through Sept. 12 along Waterfowl Lake.

Considering the animatronic prehistoric beasts invaded Northeast Ohio last year, with over 400,000 visitors taking in the exhibit, why are Zoo officials bringing them back again?

"Because they're so darn popular," said Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Marketing & Public Relations Manager Sue Allen. "People just love them. We've thought about that in the past: Is their popularity waning? Is this the year we find out we don't need to bring them back? But each year their popularity is growing, and I think it's because there are always kids between the age of 3 and 18 who have this fascinations with dinosaurs.

"Also, I think they know a heck of a lot more about dinosaurs in prehistoric times than most of us did when we were growing up. They're exposed to much more at school, on the internet and on television. And they come in with knowledge of dinosaurs and the way they lived. So this exhibit really enhances the knowledge they already have."

Built by Billings Productions of McKinney, Texas, the air piston-powered dinosaurs, which are covered with intricately painted foam rubber as skin, feature lifelike movements while a booming sound system provides their bone-chilling roars. This year "Dinosaurs!" has 18 prehistoric beasts, with returning favorites the 20-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus rex and the water-spitting Dilophosaurus. New additions include the crocodile-like Sarcosuchus, the thickly-horned Carnotaurus and the long-necked Brachiosaurus.

Naturally "Dinosaurs!," which costs the Zoo $250,000 a summer to bring in the exhibit, is a learning experience that Allen feels despite featuring extinct creatures actually compliments the Zoo's main offerings.

"This is all part of natural history and the theory of evolution does include dinosaurs," Allen said. "I think it gives people a little bit more scientific basis, more of the theory of evolution and you can also see some really interesting things in the graphics of the exhibit, such as where these dinosaurs lived and what they ate and who they may have preyed upon or who their predators were. It gives you a little better understanding of the life cycle."

She added, "The other nice thing with the landscaping around the dinosaurs is that we're lucky enough to have this beautiful path behind Waterfowl Lake in the zoo that provides a beautiful setting for the dinosaurs. And our horticulture staff has gone to great lengths to try to locate plants that might have been found when dinosaurs roamed or to find plants that look like plants that might have been around when dinosaurs roamed. So there's kind of this prehistoric, leafy green feel to the whole exhibit that adds to the experience."

Finally, Allen said "Dinosaurs!" often provides an unexpected interactive experience for some visitors with the results often turning wet and hilarious.

"I don't want to give it away but the last dinosaurs are the ones that spit," Allen said. "A lot of people see the dinosaurs moving and growling in some way, but I can tell you a lot of the people are surprised when they hit the Dilophosaurus exhibit and all of a sudden a spray of water comes shooting out. Usually when I'm walking out there and hear the screaming I know people have found the Dilophosaurus dinosaurs."

"Dinosaurs!" is open daily May 6 through September 12. Admission is $10, $7 for kids ages 2 to 11 and free for children under 2. Also it's free to Zoo members. The prehistoric exhibit is an additional $1 and also free for Zoo members. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with hours extended to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. For more information, call 216-661-6500 or visit http://www.clemetzoo.com.

Free-lance writer John Benson spends most of his time writing for various papers throughout Northeast Ohio.

When he's not writing about music or entertainment, he can be found coaching his two boys in basketball, football and baseball or watching movies with his lovely wife, Maria.