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Dinosaurs at Hogle Zoo

June 2, 2011 by rickety 9 Comments

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Yesterday’s visit to Hogle Zoo with Jill, Adelaide, and my grandchildren found us encountering dinosaurs. Their heads and necks moved and they made noises so as to appear more life-like. The Dilophosaurus even spit water out of its mouth which scared my granddaughter Aurora and quite surprised me just as I was about to take its photograph.

The dinosaurs are presented in alphabetical order. If you click on the photographs, they will either show a larger version of the same photograph or a different shot of the same dinosaur.

Allosaurus

Allosaurus (different lizard) is the state fossil of Utah. The powerful skull of Allosaurus was a perfect meat-eating machine. The jaws were large and massive, with serrated teeth for cutting meat. The skull was composed of separated pieces that could be disjointed allowing him to swallow enormous chunks of meat whole. Allosaurus constantly grew, shed and replaced it teeth, some of which averaged three or four inches in length.

Allosaurus

Allosaurus

Dilophosaurus

Dilophosaurus (double-crested lizard) had colorful crests that could have been used to attract mates. In the movie Jurassic Park, Dilophosaurus paralyzed its prey by spitting blinding venom in the eyes. There is no evidence of this but it does make for a good story.

Dilophosaurus

Dilophosaurus with baby. They spit blinding venom in our eyes that felt a little like water.

Kentrosaurus

Kentrosaurus (sharp-point lizard) had plates along the low back tail that most likely served a defensive function. The tail had two pairs of sharp, two-foot spikes that were probably used for lashing out against predators. The plates may have had blood flowing through them to help heat and cool the dinosaur’s body.

Kentrosaurus

Kentrosaurus

Megalosaurus

Megalosaurus (great lizard) had curved teeth with a serrated edge and strong claws on each toe and finger. The curved claws were designed for seizing and holding prey, while the jaws were the main killing tool. Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to be discovered, in England in 1676.

Megalosaurus

Megalosaurus

Parasaurolophus

Parasaurolophus (crested lizard) had a hollow head-crest that allowed it to make a sound like a trombone. The noise may have been used to “talk” to the rest of the herd, warning them about approaching predators.

Parasaurolophus

Parasaurolophus

Rhinosaurus

Rhinosaurus (horned nose) is characterized by its large size, an herbivorous diet, large horns, and a thick protective skin. The Rhinosaurus can exceed 7,700 pounds in weight and have a head and body length of 15 feet. They are extremely nearsighted; making the Rhinosaurus dangerous and unpredictable, and likely to charge unfamiliar sounds and smells.

Rhinosaurus

Rhinosaurus. This one looked the most life-like

Styracosaurus

Styracosaurus (spiked lizard) used its horns for defense and could charge like a rhino to protect itself. But because its frill was not solid bone and was easily punctured, some researchers theorize that it may have been able to flush the frill with blood creating eyespots to scare predators away.

Styracosaurus

Styracosaurus and baby

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Tyrannosaurus Rex (tyrant lizard king) was one of the largest animal predators. With a 5-foot-long head, 8-inch long teeth and a bite three times stronger than a lion’s, it could eat 200 pounds of meat in one bite. The little arms were extremely strong for holding on to struggling prey. It had a keen sense of smell, bone-crushing bites, and super speed.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Poster Image

 

Notes and News

  • Not shown here but on display at Hogle Zoo: Coelophysis, Suchmimus, and Brachiosaurus.
  • Dinosaur details are from onsite information displays.
  • At 1 pm we were fortunate to experience first-hand feeding time at the zoo.
  • An extensive multi-animal habitat, called Rocky Shores, featuring polar bears, sea lions, seals and brown bears will open in the Spring of 2012.

Rickety signature

Filed Under: Adelaide, Aurora, Bryson, Cassandra, Fun in Utah, Jill, Rick Tagged With: Utah, Zoo

Comments

  1. Jill says

    June 3, 2011 at 6:31 am

    Scary! I like the extra pictures hidden behind the words and when you click on the pictures.

    Reply
  2. Shauna says

    June 4, 2011 at 7:50 pm

    The T-rex eyes moving in the video are really creepy! Good pictures!

    Reply
  3. usahawan says

    June 14, 2011 at 1:19 am

    Scarry animal now live all around us!!

    Reply
  4. Ginny Dignam says

    August 21, 2011 at 9:44 pm

    As a Docent for the Utah Museum of Natural History I really enjoyed volunteering and teaching for this exhibit! Two of my most favorite places, the museum and the zoo together!! It has been interesting and fun talking to the visitors about the dinos and zoo animals. Thank you Hogle Zoo!! Thanks for extending it until the end of August too! We will be buying a family pass again, haven’t in years but will again! Years ago we enjoyed the robotic dino’s in the tent at the zoo. Thanks again, I had a “roaring” good time!

    Reply
  5. Anon says

    September 2, 2011 at 11:37 am

    Thank god we don’t live during these scary animals. Imagine what would happen if these animals were still around

    Reply
  6. LEDman says

    May 4, 2015 at 2:02 pm

    Scary and at the same time awesome. Very cool images

    Reply
  7. A Darmanin says

    January 19, 2017 at 1:33 am

    Hi Rickety,
    I’m a design tech teacher in UK, living on the Jurrasic Coast, and seeking pictures of the Megalosaurus, for a school brochure project, but can’t find hi-res good quality images of the Megalosaurus. Your shots from the zoo are fantastic. Would you be willing to share one or two.
    I’m based on the Jurrassic Caost in the UK, where the Megalosaurus was one of the first found dinosaurs back in 1670’s.
    Hope to hear from you?
    A

    Reply
    • rickety says

      February 9, 2017 at 4:32 pm

      I have uploaded the hi-res versions of the dinosaurs (17 photos, 1 video) to a Flickr album. You can use them any way you want. Let me know if there is a problem. Excuse my lateness in getting back to you, I don’t actively blog any more.

      Follow the link: https://flic.kr/s/aHskREgp2W

      Reply

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Who is this Rickety?

Rick at homeI'm Rick Willoughby. I live in Utah, a retired Software Engineer. I'm a Mormon, married with 5 children and 12 grandchildren.

I emigrated from England in my late twenties, bringing with me one small suitcase and a few dollars. I appreciate the opportunities America has given me and the friendliness of the people to new citizens.

I blog about my family as well as politics, religion, finance, technology, and other topics.

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