Baby T rex gives school kids a taste of dinosaur thrills

Youngsters at an Auckland school got a close look at what was once one of the world's greatest creatures - the Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur.

Although it was a baby T rex, children at Birkenhead Primary squealed and gasped as the dinosaur slowly approached them yesterday in the school gym. As its nose almost touched theirs many scuttled backwards; but with huge smiles on their faces.

The appearance was to help promote the production Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular which opens in Auckland next month.

Image 1 of 6: Youngsters Emma Brocker,10, Jacob Stanley,8 and Joel Blijlevens,8 get up close with Baby T-Rex from the Walking with Dinosaurs. Photo / Nick Reed

Organisers now plan an extra show, on Sunday, March 8, because of demand.

The show features life-sized dinosaur replicas roaming and interacting with each other on a stage dressed up to match the dinosaurs' natural habitat. T rex is possibly the best known dinosaur because of its huge size, ferocious nature and frequent appearances in movies and toy lines.

When it roamed North America 65 million years ago, the carnivorous giant could stand on two legs and threaten rivals with its huge jaws and teeth as long as 30cm.

Walking With Dinosaurs will be on at the Vector Arena from Friday March 6 to Sunday March 8.

For more info visit: www.dinosaurlive.nz.