PHILADELPHIA, January 25, 2013

Visitors to Paleopalooza enjoy touching a real fossil with the help of Academy Vertebrate Paleontology Collection Manager Ned Gilmore.
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Paleopalooza returns to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 16 and 17, with new dinosaur and live animal shows and the rare chance to see a wide array of real fossils up close.

The annual two-day festival combines the Academy’s world-renowned collection of dinosaur, reptile and other fossils with fun, family-friendly activities and shows for a weekend of gigantic proportions. Visitors can touch real fossils, talk with Academy scientists, see fascinating fossil displays by the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society, and learn about animals that lived millions of years ago. Paleopalooza is free with regular museum admission.

New this year is a high-energy live animal show featuring Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, based in Allenwood, that answers the question, “Are dinosaurs really extinct?” Visitors will learn about the complex relationships among the reptiles and other animals that roam the planet, including turtles, lizards and crocodilians. The live-animal auditorium shows are at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Field Station Dinosaurs, based in Secaucus, N.J., will have the kids dancing and singing along during their show “What Color is Your Dinosaur?”

The following activities can be enjoyed both Saturday and Sunday:

• Cheer on your favorite custom-made, hot-rod trilobite as it races for survival.
• Take a guided tour of Dinosaur Hall. Tours are at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.
• Search for and take home real fossils.
• Dance to the beat of the Diggity Dudes’ hip music for kids at noon and 2 p.m.

For more information, visit ansp.org/paleopalooza.

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