“Predators vs. Prey” at the Witte Museum Focuses on Dinosaurs in Texas

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“Predators vs. Prey: Dinosaurs in the Land Before Texas” is at the Witte Museum through September 3, 2018. Consistent with the Witte Museum’s mission of presenting the deep history of Texas, the dinosaurs featured in the exhibit once inhabited the land that is now Texas. The exhibit uses fossils, animatronics, and augmented reality to bring these ancient creatures to life.

Dr. Thomas L. Adams, the Witte Museum’s curator of paleontology and geology, is an expert on the dinosaurs that lived around here millions of year before this land became known as Texas.

Map of Texas during the age of dinosaurs at Witte Museum, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

My son, F.T., snapped this picture of a map showing what the coastline looked like in the past, and where paleontologists have found fossil evidence of the dinosaurs featured in the exhibit.

Tyrranosaurus Rex at Witte Museum Dinosaurs, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

The exhibit juxtaposes predatory dinosaurs with the herbivores that were their prey, and presents clues about how the prey dinosaurs may have defended themselves with horns, armor, whipping tails, or fast-moving legs.

Diabloceratops at Witte Museum Dinosaurs, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

The variety of form is amazing.

Bravoceratops skull at Witte Museum Dinosaurs, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

Animatronic dinosaurs that move and make sounds are great for capturing the imaginations of young visitors.

Animatronic Stegosaurus Witte Museum Dinosaurs, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

Several displays include tablets that allow visitors to see models of the dinosaurs in augmented reality.

Augmented reality at Witte Museum Dinosaurs, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

An interactive display lets visitors get in the picture with the dinosaurs.

Interactive screen at Witte Museum Dinosaurs, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

Young visitors will picking up a brush and digging for fossils.

Fossil dig at Witte Museum Dinosaurs, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

There is a photo opp to capture the moment and share on social media.

Photo opp at Witte Museum Dinosaurs, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

I explained to my daughter, G.N., that when I was growing up, it was rare to see feathers in renderings of dinosaurs. New fossil discoveries have changed what paleontologists believe dinosaurs looked like. That is the process of science in action. In “Predators vs. Prey,” the Utahraptor is shown with a nice coat of feathers.

Utahraptor at Witte Museum Dinosaurs, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

Feathers on the Utahraptor at Witte Museum Dinosaurs, "Predators vs. Prey" | San Antonio Charter Moms

The “Predators vs. Prey” exhibit carries a surcharge of $8 per person ($7 for members) on top of the cost of general admission to the Witte Museum. One way to save money, especially if you are likely to visit several times over the year, is to buy a family membership; prices start at $95 per year. We use our membership so often that it has been a great value. General admission is free on Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., although exhibit surcharges still apply, and summer crowds can be significant.

Ticket bundles can save your family money. The $22 Adventure Pass includes general admission and both the “Confluence and Culture” and “Predators vs. Prey” exhibits. The Dino Size Summer package for $39.99 includes both the Witte’s “Predators vs. Prey” and the San Antonio Zoo’s Zoorassic Park.

For transportation, you can park for free in the Brackenridge Park garage on Avenue B, hire a rideshare, take VIA bus routes 7, 9, 10, 11, or 14 from downtown (VIVA route 11 includes other cultural attractions), ride the zoo train around Brackenridge Park, or borrow a SWell Cycle.

With these tips about how to save money and how to get there, I hope you and your family enjoy learning about the dinosaurs that used to live here before it became Texas at the Witte Museum’s “Predators vs. Prey” exhibit.

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