RE-HATCHING AT THE COLUMBUS ZOO AND AQUARIUM MAY 17, 2014 Back from extinction by popular demand! Travel back in time, 65 million years, for a prehistoric adventure of colossal proportion. Dinosaurs became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period. The cause remains a mystery. Today, thousands of animal species are facing extinction. But this time, we know what is causing it and we are enlisting your help to know that there is something we can do to help- right here at the Columbus Zoo.
DIGGING FOR INFOrmation about DINOSAUR ISLAND? Bringing dinos back to the Zoo is dino-mite! Last summer, Dinosaur Island was so popular with our guests that we decided to bring them back from extintion. Not only is the dinosaur experience very popular, but it offers opportunities for educational messaging centered around wildlife conservation. Through these realistic animatronic experiences, it is the hope of the Columbus Zoo that guests of all ages will come to appreciate the prehistoric past and its lessons for our planet s future. How many dinosaurs will be on display and where will they be? Twenty-five life-size, animatronic dinosaurs and one Pachyrhinosaurus photo op sculpture will be on display in the Australia and the Islands region of the Zoo. Some of the dinosaurs will be visible to all Zoo visitors from the foot path, but to explore the entire dinosaur expedition by foot or water taxis, guests are required to retrieve a special admission ticket from the Extinction Research Center command post. When inside the Dinosaur Island Experience, visitors will be able to get close to the dinosaurs, take a boat ride and visit a gift shop. Photos with dinosaurs also will also be available. What are the dinosaurs like? Do they move? Do they make noise? Each dinosaur has an electronic brain that activates and controls its movements and sounds through a pneumatic system. These animals, made of steel with a urethane waterproof skin, have eyes that shift and blink, tails that move and mouths that make loud noises. Who are the masterminds behind this project? Billings Productions, of Allen, Texas, is the leading provider of animatronic dinosaurs for zoos, museums and theme parks in North America. They are one of only a handful of companies in the world that produce large, life-size animatronic dinosaurs for traveling and permanent exhibits. Billings Productions has the added distinction of being the only US company that specializes in creating animatronic dinosaurs that can withstand outdoor elements. What are the hours of operation at Dinosaur Island? Dinosaur Island will be open 9 a.m. to close from May 17 through September and weekends in October. What is the price of admission? Admission to Dinosaur Island is $3 for general admission, $2 for Columbus Zoo members, free to Gold members and is included in the price of a Zoo-it-All ride wristband. Are there educational opportunities for children? Yes! Our Education Department has organized a special Dino Day camp that is all about dinosaurs. Children ages 3 through Kindergarten will learn about dinosaurs and visit Dinosaur Island during this 3-hour class. Older children can attend a special Summer Experience Day Camp about dinosaurs; students in grades 5-7 will investigate what life was like for dinosaurs millions of years ago and what animals around the Zoo might be distant relatives to dinosaurs.
The ADVENTURE CONTINUES AT THE COLUMBUS ZOO AND AQUARIUM! Dear Explorer: During the cold winter, some dinosaurs migrated from the Island to warmer, tropical weather while others stayed behind at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to wait and wreck havoc on guests. During this time, scietists at the Extinction Research Center discovered new viable dinosaur eggs. And after a successful summer of dinosaur sightings, reports and recovers in the Zoo s Australia and the Islands region, the scientists decided to transport the eggs in a frozen state to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for further research. During their studies, the eggs hatched and the scientists could not contain the outbreak. A command post has been set up by the Extinction Research Center on the island where most of the dinosaurs are on the loose. The Center developed and published a list of the missing dinosaurs and is cautiously enlisting the help of Zoo guests in its mission to find, document and recover them all. Join the scientists and me, Jungle Jack Hanna, on this adventure of discovery to find, identify and document the whereabouts of the dinosaurs roaming the Island. Equipped with a map and identification guide, you will learn about wild animals that lived millions of years ago as well as how you can be part of the solution to the extinction facing many species today. Be warned, the mission is a dangerous one. There is no telling what hazards might be waiting for you just around the corner or along the forested banks of the stream. See you this summer! Sincerely,
DINOSAURS! brachiosaurus Found in: North America, Europe and Africa Name means: Arm lizard When it lived: Jurassic period Physical characteristics: 85 feet long, 50 feet tall and approximately 88 tons Diet: Herbivore Fun fact #1: Like the apatosaurus, its nostrils are on top of its head Fun fact #2: The brachiosaurus had a very large, powerful heart in order to pump the blood all the way up its long neck CoeLOPHYSIS Found in: Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico Name means: Hollow form When it lived: Triassic period Physical characteristics: 10 feet long, just under 3 feet tall and weighed roughly 50 pounds. It had three digits on each hand, sharp, jagged teeth and was considered a very fast runner Fun fact: Coelophysis resembled a longlegged bird with a head similar to a stork CRYOLOPHOSAURUS Found in: Antarctica Name means: Cold-crested lizard When it lived: Jurassic period Physical characteristics: 26 feet long, 5 feet tall and approximately a half ton Fun fact #1: The Cryolophosaurus used its crest for mating displays Fun fact #2: The crest looks similar to Elvis Presley s haircut, giving it the nickname Elivisaurus
DEINOSUCHUS Found in: U.S. and Mexico Name means: Terrible crocodile When it lived: Late Cretaceous period Physical characteristics: The juvenile Deinosuchus is similar in size to the modern crocodile; full-grown it would be 40 feet long Fun fact: Would be able to kill even large dinosaurs that would enter its habitat Found in: North African river delta Name means: Delta runner When it lived: Cretaceous period Physical characteristics: Estimated to have been one of the longest dinosaurs at 44 feet long Fun fact: Thought to be one of the fastest land dinosaurs, because of its long, slender limbs DELTADROMEUS DILOPHOSAURUS Found in: North America and China Name means: Double-crested lizard When it lived: Jurassic period Physical characteristics: 20 feet long and 5 feet tall. It had long thin legs and short arms with three fingers and claws Fun fact: Dilophosaurus hips alone could have weighed 1,000 pounds & BABY
EUOPLOCEPHALUS Found in: North America Name means: Well-armored head When it lived: Cretaceous period Physical characteristics: 44 feet long, 12 feet tall and weighed approximately 8 tons Diet: Herbivore Fun fact: The Euoplocephalus underbelly was the only part of the body not protected MEGALOSAURUS Found in: England Name means: Great lizard When it lived: Jurassic period Physical characteristics: 29 feet long, 9 feet tall and weighed nearly 1 ton Fun fact: Was one of the first dinosaurs discovered! ORNITHOMIMUS Found in: North America and Mongolia Name means: Bird mimic When it lived: Late Cretaceous period Physical characteristics: 13 feet long, 9 feet tall and weighed nearly 300 pounds Diet: Omnivore Fun fact: The Ornithomimus would eat insects, small reptiles and mammals in addition to eggs, fruits and leaves
PLATEOSAURUS Found in: Central and Northern Europe Name means: Broad lizard When it lived: Late Triassic Physical characteristics: 28 feet long and weighed upwards of 1,500 pounds Diet: Herbivore Fun fact: Early scientists believed the Plateosaurus to be a quadruped, walking on all fours, however advanced research and reconstruction of the skeletal structure show that it could only have walked as a biped SARCOSUCHUS Found in: Africa Name means: Flesh crocodile When it lived: Early Cretaceous period Physical characteristics: Fully grown, it would reach lengths of 35 to 40 feet and weighed nearly 9 tons Diet: It is contested whether this giant crocodilian simply fed on sea creatures or used its huge size to prey on dinosaurs as well Fun fact: A distant relative of the crocodile TOROSAURUS & BABY Found in: North America Name means: Pierced lizard When it lived: Cretaceous period Physical characteristics: 23 feet long, 6 feet tall and weighed nearly 4 tons Diet: Herbivore Fun fact #1: The Torosaurus had a sharp beak, which was used to bite off and chew tough vegetation Fun fact #2: Had an 8 foot long horned skull, one of the largest skulls of any land animal
TYRANNOSAURUS Found in: USA, Canada and East Asia Name means: Tyrant lizard king When it lived: Cretaceous period Physical Characteristics: Measured an average of 39 feet long, 16 feet tall, and weighed approximately 6 tons. Its arms were only 3 feet long with two fingers that were unusually powerful for their size. T-Rex s hind limbs were much longer and very strong. Fun fact: T-Rex was one of the largest and most powerful dinosaurs to exist TyRAnnOSauRUS BABY
GIGANOTOSAURUS Found in: Argentina Name means: Giant Southern lizard When it lived: Late Cretaceous period Physical characteristics: 44 feet long, 12 feet tall and weighed approximately 8 tons Fun fact #1: The Giganotosaurus was bigger than the T-Rex, but smaller than the Spinosaurus Fun fact #2: Its enormous jaw contained 8 inch long serrated teeth PAchyrhInoSAuruS PHoto OP