21 Life-sized, Animatronic Dinosaur Displays to Bring Awe & Excitement
San Francisco Zoo and Gardens has unleashed its colossal, new outdoor summer exhibition, Dinos Rule! This limited-time, family-friendly, immersive experience, run from July 1 through September 15, 2026.
“Dinosaurs continue to enthrall and evoke wonder for kids and adults alike,” said Cassandra Costello, CEO and Executive Director. “We felt that this was a great time to bring dinosaurs to the Zoo for the first time at this scale, something that would be exciting and new for our guests, and be a must-see for our community and beyond.”
In addition to life-sized, animatronic renditions of the world’s most famed and feared dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex, aka, “T-rex,” and the world’s largest long-necked herbivorous dinosaur, Brachiosaurus, guests will see a variety of lesser known, but equally imposing, Dinosauria. These include winged species, like Ncytosaurus, a flying pterosaur, and Gigantoraptor, a massive bird-like dinosaur. Guests will also find unusual specimens, like Pachycephalosaurus, an herbivorous dinosaur with a thick, domed skull with spikes on the back, and Psittacosaurus known for its distinct parrot-like beak.
Highlights
- 21 realistic, scientifically-informed, dinosaur models based on fossil evidence. Each individual dinosaur uses advanced robotics to enable natural movements like blinking, breathing and tail-swaying.
- These are the only dinosaur displays themed to evolution and extinction, grouping dinosaurs by era and geographic origin, and in dynamic interactions displaying behaviors like nesting, hunting, and scavenging.
- Interactive activities– a 5 ft. tall dinosaur photo op egg, a 6 ft. long Sauropod footprint and a 4 ft. long Tyrannosaurus footprint, plus a 15 ft. long climbable dinosaur sculpture.
- An 8 ft. by 8 ft. dig pitfeaturing a variety of dinosaur fossils.
The exhibit is situated around the Zoo’s serene lower lake, adjacent to the 2.2-acre Australian WalkAbout and Koala Crossing habitats. Visitors follow a pathway surrounded by a dense, thicket of plants and trees, as they venture around the outer lake, while discovering fearsome dinosaurs along the way. Their journey through prehistoric ages will culminate at the Prehistoric Garden and some terrifying surprises, located across from the South American Tropical Rainforest & Aviary. The permanent Prehistoric Garden highlights ancient flora that has survived since the age of dinosaurs.
Prehistoric Garden
- Horsetails – known as living fossils, these jointed green stems date back to the time of the dinosaurs;
- Ferns – Various fern species that have remained relatively unchanged for millions of years;
- Gunnera – known for its massive leaves, often referred to as “dinosaur food.”
- Mosses – primitive plants evolving roughly 450 million years ago;
- Magnolias & Palms – palm species that date back 80-90 million years and magnolias from ~100 million years ago dating to the Cretaceous Period.
Virtual Reality Experience
For guests seeking more dinosaur action, the Zoo offers a motion-based virtual reality experience, in collaboration with Immotion, the global leader in immersive edutainment. Playing at the VR Zone is “Dinosaur: Evolution,” a journey to the Cretaceous Period, when dinosaurs stood at the apex of their evolutionary journey. Donning VR goggles while sitting in motion-seating, guests will experience first-hand how some species not only survived, but flourished, in the aftermath of global devastation, making comparisons to today’s world and climate change.
Dino Don, Inc.
For this installation, the Zoo has partnered with acclaimed dinosaur company, Dino Don, Inc., the creator of among the world’s most accurate, full-sized robotic creatures. Each dinosaur is custom-fabricated under the direct supervision of paleontologists, including its CEO, “Dino” Don Lessem. Lessem served as a key advisor to director Steven Spielberg on the original 1993 Jurassic Park film, providing information about dinosaur anatomy and behavior. “Dino Don,” a noted science author, has a dinosaur named after him, Lessemsaurus, a large, herbivorous dinosaur found in Argentina.
“Dinosaurs have proven to be both a fascinating and engaging attraction for kids of all ages, and will be a great summer draw,” said Paulo Vergara, Executive Vice President of Marketing. “By having dinosaurs at the Zoo, we can bring the unique perspective of having our guests see these giant, life-sized dinosaurs, and comparing them to living parallels, like our prehistoric-looking cassowaries, and other birds, that are descendants to dinosaurs. Even some of our giant tortoises, that came from ancient reptiles that co-existed with dinosaurs, make for a fascinating visit!”
Dinos Rule! is a separate fee for all guests and is $9 per person/$8 SF Zoo members (children 2 and under are free) and is not included with general zoo admission. Each ticket is valid for one-time use on any date during the run of the exhibition. Reservations are not required.
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