It’s not every day you get spat on by a dinosaur, but students from Richmond North Public School had a Dilophosaurus do exactly that to them and enjoyed every minute of it. Luckily, real as the 3-metre tall  dino in question looked, it was one of the 16 adult and many smaller dinosaurs that went on display at Taronga today for Dinosaurs in the Wild.

The kids got up early after sleeping at Taronga’s ZooSnooz, so they could visit five of Taronga’s life-like animatronic dinosaurs in the early morning before anyone else. As one of Taronga’s new  Dinosaur Keepers, I gave them a running commentary of facts about the ancient reptiles and their modern-day counterparts while news crews looked on filmed all the fun.

Muttaburrasaurus, Ornithomimus and Triceratops were all on their best behaviour this morning roaring and grunting, but the same can’t be said for Dilophosaurus. The kids shrieked in surprise as the dinosaur suddenly ‘spat’ at them, spraying them all with a deadly dose of dino ‘venom’. It was only water of course, but cries of “dinosaur poison!” filled the air as the children giggled and braced themselves against the watery assault.

The tour wouldn’t be complete without the opportunity to see the king of the dinosaurs, and the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex was ready to oblige. Jaws dropped as the crowd rounded a corner and were confronted with the enormous four-metre tall reptile, which lowered its head and roared at the spectators. The kids were enthralled as they gazed at the huge dinosaur teeth and powerful jaws, chatting excitedly and raising their arms towards the beast.

Dinosaur Keeper, Kat