Life-Size Dinosaurs To Be Rehabilitated At Clearwater Marine Aquarium

CLEARWATER, FL — Clearwater Marine Aquarium is known for its work to rescue, rehabilitate and release marine life, but what about those that lived millions of years ago and are thought to have been extinct?

Now open, Dino Rescue brings guests at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium up close with life-size dinosaurs, some as tall as 35 feet and 65 feet long. As guests walk throughout the aquarium, they will encounter the dinosaurs, which move and roar, as they rehabilitate from various ailments that today’s animals face — like habitat loss and entanglement.

“Each dinosaur will have a medical patient workup chart with their backstory on display,” said Chief Operating Office Lisa Oliver. “We hope that by applying these real-life challenges to the dinosaurs in a fun, satirical fashion, it will bring to light the severity of these ailments which can lead to the very real extinction of an entire species.”

Oliver said that having the dinosaurs “rehabilitate” throughout the facility provides an opportunity for guests to explore different areas of the aquarium they may not have otherwise seen.

The aquarium even has a website page where kids can learn more about the 19 rescued dinosaurs, the threats they're facing and what they need help with to survive. The website will also include the dinosaur's medical chart that will detail what treatments the rescue team is using to bring the dinosaur back to health.

For instance, Lizzie, a tyrannosaurus rex, was hunting when she became entangled in fencing and sustained an injury to her tail. Upon rescue, she was lethargic and struggling to move. The rescue team attempted to disentangle Lizzie but her injuries were too severe. Lizzie’s injury is similar to how North Atlantic right whales become entangled in fishing gear and struggle to survive.

Gus, a parasaurolophus, showed symptoms of severe congestion in his trumpet-like crest, most likely caused from exposure to a harmful algal bloom. Harmful algal blooms, like those caused by red tide, affect many species both in and out of the water by releasing toxins that can lead to respiratory irritation. Some toxins affect the central nervous system of fish and other vertebrates, causing these animals to die.

“The size of the dinosaurs required us to think creatively about where they could be placed, and how they would be displayed,” said Oliver, “which allows us to showcase areas that guests may have missed with the expansion.”

In 2020, Clearwater Marine Aquarium opened an $80 million expansion which increased its guest space by five times what it previously had available.

Dino Rescue features animatronic dinosaurs from “Dino” Don Lessem, a paleontologist who was a dinosaur consultant on “Jurassic Park.”

“I’m excited and honored to bring the greatest animals of the past to Clearwater Marine Aquarium,” said Lessem of this special exhibition. “We’ve gone to great lengths to ensure these are the most accurate dinosaur robots in the world and dinosaur fans are going to love them.”

The rescued dinosaurs are available for viewing and can be experienced up close along with the aquarium's resident dolphins, turtles, otters and more with the regular price of admission. All net proceeds benefit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s work rescuing and rehabilitating marine animals.

Click here for tickets.