April 10, 2000

On April 16, Discovery Channel will be premiering one of the most ambitious television ventures combining advanced computer technologies and painstaking scientific research - Walking with Dinosaurs.

This three-hour dino-extravaganza begins at 7:00 p.m. Viewers will think they are watching an actual wildlife documentary, as the dinosaurs are depicted in the wild. Filming took place all over the world to recreate the prehistoric ecosystem - from the monkey-puzzle forest of Chile, to the tree ferns of New Zealand, to the redwood forests of California.

In addition to the familiar species such as Tyrannosaurus (remember Jurassic Park?), you will see species that probably your children can't even name - including the extraordinary marine reptile Liopleurodon, possibly the largest sea carnivore of its time, and the awe-inspiring Ornithocheirus, one of the biggest flying creatures ever known.

Jim Kirkland, State Paleontologist, was one of eight scientific advisors for the project, and appears on-air during breaks in the program. In the last half of the show, you will see two dinosaurs that Jim discovered in Utah as recently as 1992: Utahraptor and Gastonia.

The following night, viewers can go behind the scenes to discover how the mini-series was made, with The Making of Walking with Dinosaurs from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m.