Museum’s dinosaurs take over Hot Springs trail
HOT SPRINGS — The Jurassic Park movies turned dinosaurs into celebrities, even though some of them were nasty people eaters. Their popularity is getting fresh impetus this summer in Hot Springs, thanks to a dinosaur trail populated by lifelike models of the prehistoric beasts.
The Oaklawn Foundation DinoTrek, dedicated during Memorial Day weekend, has quickly become a prime attraction at Mid-America Science Museum. Fifteen of the 18 dinosaurs, smaller than life-size in most cases but still a fearsome menagerie, are arrayed along an outdoor walking path. Two more greet visitors heading for the museum entrance, while one is indoors.
“We get lots of questions and comments about them,” said a clerk at the ticket counter on a recent afternoon. Hovering above her was a model of the flying species Pteranodon, scaled down from its real-life wingspan of up to 18 feet. This swooping reptile populated present-day South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming some 90 million years ago.
“We decided he’s a boy, so we nicknamed him ‘Terence,’ because the ‘P’ in ‘Pteranodon’ is silent,” the clerk told a visitor. “We gave girls’ names to the two you passed coming in from the parking lot.” The Tyrannosaurus Rex is “Rexanna,” while the Triceratops is “Sarah.”
Like most of the carnivores in the DinoTrek display, Rexanna is open-mouthed, baring killer teeth. An action tableau on the trail depicts the dino-eat-dino lifestyle of the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic periods. It was a span of many million years when reptiles topped the global food chain, before extinction struck for reasons still debated by experts.
The herbivore under assault is a Tenontosaurus. The smaller predators aiming for the kill are several Deinonychus, chivvying their prey into eventual submission. A wound is visible on a flank of the Tenontosaurus, hinting that the end result will be a hearty meal for the attackers.
Only the bones of dinosaurs, like other creatures extinct since time immemorial, survive to give researchers evidence of their size and appearance. Some DinoTrek specimens are portrayed in colors more vivid than likely was the case — bright greens, reds, blues and yellows.
It is also unknown what kinds of noises dinosaurs might have made. DinoTrek supplies amplified sound effects for some of the reptiles — a seemingly identical roar that could have been copied from Jurassic Park. Whatever its possible authenticity, the roaring does add to the drama of the trek.
Mid-America is very much a family museum, with a variety of hands-on activities for youngsters. But there’s an adult theme to one program, next scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 13.
The occasion is described on the museum’s website: “Adults ages 21 and older are invited … for another fun evening of science, drinks, food and more at the museum’s monthly Science Society” gathering. The Sept. 13 theme is sci-fi, and “guests are urged to dress up like their favorite science-fiction characters.”
With DinoTrek providing the inspiration, the event offers the chance show up disguised as a dinosaur — although designing a Tyrannosaurus Rex costume would require a burst of beastly creativity.