DEL MAR — Jurassic Quest held the second premier of its new “Ancient Oceans” exhibit at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Jan. 10 through Jan. 12.
Jurassic Quest is an interactive and educational dinosaur exhibit featuring over 80 true to life dinosaur animatronics that allows its attendees to be entertained while being educated as they walk through the Cretaceous period (the last 79 million years of Earth’s Jurassic age).
Each dinosaur has been replicated with accuracy and details and everything was designed in collaboration with paleontologists.
“We take pride with how immersive our exhibits are,” Dustin Baker, Jurassic Quest PR coordinator, said. “They move, they roar and the scenes are a reflection of their habitats.”
The new exhibit, “Ancient Oceans,” originally premiered in Dallas, Texas, at the end of last year before coming to Del Mar.
The headlining attraction of the new showcase is the Megalodon, which means “giant tooth.” The 50-foot-long shark animatronic replicates the largest shark science has discovered. The Megalodon is joined in its habitat with various other extinct water-dwelling creatures.
Baker said that the best way to describe the creatures in the new exhibit is as, “pre-historic, ancient water-life.”
It takes 23 trucks to transport all of the animatronics, sets, merchandise and more for Jurassic Quest to travel around America and recently into parts of Canada. The Megalodon alone needs a single truck to be conveyed.
There are 38 Jurassic Quest employees who travel with the attraction. These employees work to set up all of the exhibits and entertainment, which takes roughly over 12 hours to accomplish. They run the shows, exhibits, and activities that are featured, as well as spend over 15 hours tearing it down, packing it up and traveling onto the next city.
One of these employees is Maria Cobb, 21, who works as a dinosaur trainer. She got involved a few years back through her sister.
“I was curious what she (Cobb’s sister) was doing and what it was all about,” Cobb said.
Cobb learned about Jurassic Quest and decided to join the attraction. She was recently promoted to dinosaur trainer and works with their baby dinosaurs.
According to its website, Jurassic Quest is the only dinosaur attraction in North America to include baby dinosaurs. These dinosaurs were created by Carlo Rambaldi, who created the animatronics for “E.T.” The trainers bring them out for 30-minute segments throughout the day, where guests have the opportunity to interact with them.
Other activities available at Jurassic Quest include riding dinosaurs, playing in bouncy houses and face painting. Kids can also dig for fossils. Families can take pictures in front of a giant green screen creating images of dinosaurs chasing them. Additionally, attendees can mold their own fossils and take guided tours through all of the exhibits.
For reviews, information, upcoming locations and events with Jurassic Quest visit https://www.jurassicquest.com. Additionally, for upcoming events at the Del Mar Fairgrounds visit http://www.delmarfairgrounds.com.
