| Summary: | "Highly Recommended. Quality production values are evident throughout this lively and informative video. It leaves the viewer eagerly anticipating a visit to the nearest natural history museum. Includes an interview with James Gurney, author and illustrator of "Dinotopia," who discusses how the idea for his book grew out of a campfire talk with archaeologists." -EMRO Review. Dinosaurs - there's something about them that captivates people of all ages - and why not? They were the dominant vertebrate animals on Earth for over 160 million years, from about 230 million years ago until about 65 million years ago. This program has something for everyone who loves dinosaurs. Remember the bearded paleontologist (Dr. Robert Burke) in Steven Spielberg's film, The Lost World: Jurassic Park? His character was based on the real-life paleontologist and author, Dr. Robert Bakker (The Dinosaur Heresies; Raptor Red), who is one expert who guides us on this "Jurassic Safari," helping us think of dinosaurs in their ecological context; he says, "we love dinosaurs because they're nature's 'special effects.'" Dr. Richard Stucky, Curator of Paleoecology and Evolution at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (formerly Museum of Natural History), explains that in western states, such as Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, fossils are found constantly; in fact, Colorado is one of the best places in the world to find dinosaurs and its state fossil is the Stegosaurus. From author/illustrator James Gurney, we learn about his World of Dinosaurs' stamps, which were issued in Grand Junction, Colorado; also we see a segment of his popular best-selling book, Dinotopia: A Land Apart From Time. Also we see volunteers digging for fossils in Grand Junction's Rabbit Valley, which is known as the junction of the dinosaur triangle; we view rare dinosaur specimens at the Prehistoric Journey Exhibition at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; we learn from Bill Swets of the Swetsville Zoo that two-thirds of the sculptures in his park are modeled after dinosaurs; we meet the former mayor of Dinosaur, Colorado, Richard Blakely; as well as Parker Carlson, owner of the Carlson Vineyards Winery that offers wines such as Tyrannosaurus Red.
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