by justin strawser
ALLENWOOD - Brought to life by a lot of imagination and a little bit of animatronic technology, the dinosaurs on display at Clyde Peeling's Repitiland have only four months before they go extinct again.
"Dinosaurs are a big move and a big gamble, but we felt like the area was ready for it," said Chad Peeling, the zoo's operations manager on a sneak peak tour of "Dinosaurs Come to Life" with The News-Item Thursday.
The temporary, outdoor exhibit, which opens Saturday, features eight animatronic dinosaurs positioned in a newly developed area of the zoo, including popular fan favorites in Tyrannosaurus rex and Brachiosaurus. The other displays are Parasaurolophus hatchlings, Euoplocepalus, Chasmosaurus, Dilophosaurus, an Amargasaurus and Stegosaurus baby.
The models come from Billings Production, based in McKinney, Texas. They are North America's leading provider of large, life-size animatronic dinosaurs for traveling and permanent exhibits in zoos, museums and theme parks.
Visitors enter the area through a tent with a paleontology dig scene inside complete with a fossil pit for digging, plaster molds and fossil replications.
"This is to give kids a flavor of real paleontology before going into the imagination," said Peeling.
Exiting the tent is when children - and children at heart - will open their eyes wide in excitement. They will initially be greeted by a Chasmosaur, a three-horned dinosaur similar in appearance to the more popular Triceratops. In addition to seven more resurrected creatures from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, which is between 200 and 65 million years ago, the paths have several information centers where readers can learn facts about the animals and fossils.
The last portion of the exhibit is where the infamous "T. Rex" stands at 7,000 pounds and 40 feet long. He moves around, growls and stands upright at nearly two stories. Peeling said it took two industrial forklifts to lift the heavy beast from the truck.
The goal of the special exhibit is bring people who have either never been to the zoo before or haven't been there in years, he said.
"It's a special summer and it's an opportunity to see something in this area you don't often see," he said.
Reptiland is best known for more than 40 species of reptiles and amphibians in the indoor exhibit gallery. They also opened a seasonal exhibit "Butterflies" two years ago.
It was how well-received the butterfly garden was that gave Reptiland the confidence to branch out again and bring the dinosaurs to life. If the dinosaurs are a popular attraction, they may return or another special display may be brought in.
Peeling said they expect to busy and have additional parking and crowd management to address the increase.
While the zoo brings in more than 55,000 people a year, he said they have actually been doing financially better than previous years during the economic slump.
"People weren't travelling as far and maybe they were exploring what was in their own backyard," he said.
Reptiland is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the week and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. After Memorial Day until Labor Day, the zoo will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. General admission is $14 for adults (age 12 and up), $12 for children (ages three to 11) and free for infants (ages two and under).
Dinosaurs Come to Life will be on display from April 30 until Labor Day, Sept. 5.
Clive Peeling's Reptiland is located on Route 11 in Allenwood, approximately 10 miles south of Williamsport.A Euoplocepalus is one of eight dinosaur species on display starting Saturday at Clyde Peeling's Reptileland.