'Dinos & Dragons' stomp in to Brookfield Zoo
Some really big houseguests will be taking over the grounds of Brookfield Zoo this spring and summer when the multisensory “Dinos & Dragons” traveling exhibit opens Saturday, May 6.
A Tyrannosaurus Rex will bare its enormous knifelike teeth; a mythical dragon-headed Wyvern, with its reptilian body, will come to life.
And visitors can see the sun shine through the translucent wings of a flying Pteranodon.
Seventeen animatronic creatures will join living reptiles, like a Komodo dragon, frilled and bearded dragons, iguanas and a roughneck monitor lizard, in the exhibit.
“'Dinos & Dragons'” is in one word 'fascinating,'” said Andre Copeland, interpretive programs manager for the Chicago Zoological Society.
“Whether real or mythological, dragons and dinosaurs have affected our lives and our culture,” Copeland said. “In film and literature, look at 'Jurassic Park' or 'Harry Potter.' Or even (children's dinosaur character) 'Barney.' You can see that these animals have had a deep impact on us.”
At “Dinos & Dragons” guests will be transported back to the Late Jurassic Period, nearly 150 million years ago, and the Late Cretaceous Period, 75-85 million years ago, as they stroll along an outdoor, tree-filled path and come eye-to-eye with creatures that roamed the Earth back then.
Don't be startled when the creatures' animatronic heads, tails, legs and wings move as visitors walk past the “living” dinosaurs and dragons. Some of the animals are designed to scale - others are smaller than their real-life counterparts.
“We want people to start thinking about what life may have been like during that time. How did a mother dinosaur interact with her babies? What was the predator/prey relationship? How did these creatures hunt?” Copeland said.
Zoo visitors can learn more about the dinosaurs and dragons by interacting with the educational graphics on the path. And they can test their dinosaur/dragon knowledge with the game-show inspired “Games of Bones” or help dissect dinosaur “body parts” (made from safe, nonlatex material) at a replica of an excavation site.
In an indoor exhibit area, guests can get an up-close look at a number of reptiles and hear from the animals' caretakers.
“People can see how some of these animals today have 'dragon' in their names or are so large they are dragon-like,” Copeland said. “They may be able to touch a reptile or two.”
But it's a hands-off policy for the Komodo dragon.
“The Komodo is large and is a meat eater. We want to make sure everyone is safe,” Copeland said.
Other activities include a puppet show, digging for dinosaur “bones,” a miniature catapult and more.
Dinosaurs and dragons will make their presence known not only at the special exhibit, but in other areas of Brookfield Zoo, Copeland said.
An animatronic Dracorex hogwartsia (or “dragon of Hogwarts,” in a nod to J.K. Rowling's “Harry Potter”) mother dragon and her hatched babies will take up residence in the zoo's Roosevelt Fountain.
And a 10-minute “Dino Days of Summer” play will run twice a day at the Stage-O-Saurus Theater on the zoo's west end.
Dinosaur exhibits have visited Brookfield Zoo before in 2009 and in 2013 - but “Dinos & Dragons” is the first exhibit that includes dragon-like creatures, both real and mythical.
“We hope we can help people to understand the relationship between mythology and science,” Copeland said. “These animals continue to impact our culture through science.”
And Copeland said he hopes that “Dinos & Dragons” inspires a bit of wonder in all who look into the eyes of the animatronic creatures of long ago - or into the eyes of a living reptile as well.
“We want to inspire and ignite one's imagination,” Copeland said. “It's so important to never lose your imagination.”
“Dinos & Dragons”
Where: Brookfield Zoo, 8400 31st St., Brookfield, (708) 688-8000 or
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, from Saturday, May 6, through Sunday, Sept. 17
Admission: $3-$5 in addition to $14.50-$19.85 zoo general admission