Dinosaurs and Zoos, Oh My!
Nothing tires a dinosaur more than traveling across the country. After my exciting adventure on The Great Race, I decided to return home to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a little rest and relaxation. After I arrived home, I thought, “I’m only 99 years old; I don’t need rest!” The next morning I decided to visit Utah's Hogle Zoo, where they are showcasing the great Zoorassic Park! It may come as a surprise to some, but finding fellow dinosaurs isn’t easy. I was happy to discover brethren so close to home!
My first stop was at the Brachiosaurus, a distant relative of mine that roamed the earth around 150 million years ago. These creatures could grow up to 50 feet tall and 85 feet long, weighing almost 50 tons! That’s about 10 times heavier than an elephant and two and a half times taller than a giraffe. I don’t know about you, but I think we look pretty similar! Both of us are known to relish in the delicacy of a treetop salad.
I then made my way to see some more herbivores, like the stegosaurus and the pachyrhinosaurus. According to scientists, the pachyrhinosaurus acted very similar to the rhino that we all know today. Scientists also say that the stegosaurus had a brain the size of a hot dog! Some may think that it wasn’t the smartest dinosaur out there, but if I’m being honest, that’s about four times the size of mine (and I’m doing just fine)! Besides, when you’re just eating plants all day, what more do you have to think about?
On my way through the remainder of the zoo, I came across a pretty terrifying sight: the tremendous tyrant, the tyrannosaurus rex, with those 12-inch dagger-like teeth glistening in the sun. Needless to say, I didn’t stick around long! I rushed to the other side of the zoo to find some dinosaurs that were not so intimidating, and found the nest of baby edmontosauruses. These were by far my favorite sight, mostly because they were the same size as me. But when full-grown, they were around 40 feet long and weighed 4 tons!
I enjoyed my visit to the Hogle Zoo and can’t wait to get back there! If you’re interested in visiting Zoorassic Park, check out their website for more information: www.hoglezoo.org.
