Dinosaurs back - for good - at Reptiland

ALLENWOOD — Dinosaurs may be extinct, but love for the prehistoric creatures is certainly alive and kicking at Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland this summer.
Popular demand brought back the “Dinosaurs Come to Life” exhibit to the zoo, located along Route 15 in northern Union County, for the second year. Included are favorites from 2011 — a massive Tyrannosaurus rex and a spitting Dilophosaurus — and a handful of new animatronics.
“Dinosaurs never go out of style,” owner and founder Clyde Peeling said last week during a tour of the exhibit.
In fact, they have become a permanent part of the zoo, the outdoor exhibit to be open through October and reopen each spring.
“From now on, we’ll always have them,” Peeling said.
Texas firm involved
The exhibit in a newly developed area of the property features four animatronic dinosaurs now owned by the zoo — a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, a Parasaurolophus, a juvenile stegosaurus and a pair of Coelophysis. Six others are being rented from Billings Production, based in McKinney, Texas, including an adult Tyrannosaurus rex, Euoplocephalus, Baryonyx, Chasmosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Brachiosaurus and Parasaurolophus hatchlings.
Billings is promoted as North America’s leading provider of large, life-size animatronic dinosaurs for traveling and permanent exhibits in zoos, museums and theme parks.
Peeling said he will continue to add to Reptiland’s private collection as well.
‘The drooler’
Visitors enter the area the same as they did last year, through a tent featuring a paleontology dig scene with a fossil pit, plater molds and fossil replications. Added to the staging area is a broadcast of the “Jurassic Park” theme song and other “dino-tunes.”
The first noticeable creature just outside the tent, in a body of water, is a Baryonyx, which Peeling affectionately refers to as “the drooler,” because it dribbles water from its mouth when it growls. This carnivore from the Cretaceous Period is best known for its long snout with serrated teeth — and 9.8-inch claws on each thumb.
Throughout the tall grass and bushes, visitors find the rest of the species, which span the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, the three time frames dinosaurs are said to have “ruled the earth” between 230 million and 65 million years ago.
The adult Parasaurolophus provides a photo op, where a dino-lover can take a snapshot with the duck-billed giant.
Also along the paths are several information centers where readers can learn facts about the animals and fossils.
T. rex, big and ‘small’
The most popular portion of the exhibit is that of the adult and juvenile T. rex dinosaurs. The big one, which releases several low growls, weighs in at 12,000 pounds, is 40 feet long and nearly two stories high when upright.
On Tuesday, Muncy Valley resident Craig Skaluba was taking his daughter, Chloe, 8, on a tour of the exhibit for the first time.
“It’s pretty cool,” Chloe said. “I wouldn’t like them to eat me, though. They’d probably find my hamster a very nice treat.”
Skaluba, who taught biology for 13 years, said these types of exhibits interest him.
But, he said, “Chloe gets mad at me for reading all the signs.”
Komodos coming
Peelings said a Komodo dragon exhibit is under construction, with a tentative open date of early 2013.
Komodo dragons are the largest living species of lizards and can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 150 pounds. They are known for eating water buffalo and deer.
The exhibit will feature two dragons in two habitats — a 1,300-square-foot room and a 500-square-foot room — complete with landscaping, mud banks and water sources.
The goal is to have the best facilities for the dragons in the world, Peeling said.
‘Dinosaurs belong’ here
Of course, Reptiland is best known for its collection of more than 40 species of reptiles and amphibians in its indoor exhibit gallery. It also opened a seasonal exhibit called “Butterflies” three years ago and has several traveling exhibits on loan to zoos.
The success of the butterfly garden, in fact, is what gave Peeling the confidence to bring in the dinosaurs last year, and the numerous phone calls inquiring about the return of the dinosaurs is what brought them back, he said.
Since the scientific community classifies reptiles and birds together, and birds are modern-day dinosaurs, “dinosaurs belong in a place called Reptiland,” Peeling reasons.
Hours, fees
Reptiland is open year-round except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, it is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. In April, May, September and October, it is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekends. From November through March, it is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 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” opened April 28 and will continue through the end of October.
Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland is located on Route 11 in Allenwood, approximately 10 miles south of Williamsport.