This summer, some long-extinct animals are coming to San Francisco to join their living descendants and other zoo residents.

The San Francisco Zoo and Gardens has announced a new dinosaur exhibit opening July 1. “Dinos Rule!” will feature 21 life-size animatronic dinosaurs, including a Tyrannosaurus rex and a brachiosaurus.

The robots are built by Dino Don Inc. and they will blink, breathe and fidget as if they are alive.

“By having dinosaurs at the zoo, we can bring the unique perspective of having our guests see these giant, life-sized dinosaurs, and comparing them to living parallels,” said Paulo Vergara, the zoo’s executive vice president.

A large, detailed Stegosaurus statue stands amidst lush green foliage and flowering plants in an outdoor setting.
A Stegosaurus life-sized, animatronic model. The San Francisco Zoo and Gardens Dinos Rule! exhibition will feature 21 realistic, scientifically-informed, dinosaur models based on fossil evidence and multiple interactive activities at the San Francisco, Calif., zoo from July 1 through September 15, 2026. (San Francisco Zoo via Bay City News)

The exhibit will cost visitors an extra $9 fee. There will be photo ops and interactive activities like a fossil dig and a virtual reality experience.

The zoo is also opening a Prehistoric Garden featuring some of the world’s oldest plants. The garden will remain when the rest of the exhibit closes after Sept. 15.