If you’ve ever wanted to live the life of the paleontologists in Jurassic Park (minus the whole bit about being eaten while using the outhouse), you’re in luck.
The Cincinnati Museum Center is currently home to Dinosaurs Unearthed, an exhibit featuring 24 life-size dinosaurs –including everything from the always crowd-pleasing Tyrannosaurus Rex, to the Baryonyx and the Parasaurolophus.
What some longtime dinosaur lovers might notice is a serious change in costume for some of the scaly looking reptiles.
The T. rex, which was once thought to have leather-like skin, is now believed, from its hatching to some time in its juvenile stage, to have a covering of scales and feathers used to help regulate heat.
The exhibit contains three T. rex’s – one animatronic adult and two juveniles.
Joining the T. rex family are other feathered friends that are obviously much smaller than the king of all dinosaurs, but are just as, if not more, terrifying.
The smallest of the bird-like dinosaurs has a ferocious growl much too large for its stature. (Think young Simba in The Lion King when he mistakes his father’s growl for his own.)
Including the T. rex, there are eight animatronic dinosaurs using a new technology that puts a small motor in most of the joints compared to older models that were run using air technology. The motors are much quieter and allow for a smoother movement of the beasts.
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