Din-O-Mite Slideshow

Dinosaur World is a treat for anyone looking to shrug off the staleness of the Smithsonian for about an hours worth of fun with some day glow creatures. We all know what crowd pleasers those purple dinos can be!

Back on Tack's shallow investigative team has dug deep to get the dirt on Dinosaur World. We have unearthed that this prime piece of prehistoric land, the halfway mark between Disney and Busch Gardens, was once Gator Jungle of Plant City. Its curator, Christer Svensson, never received municipal approval for his conversion when work began in 1996. He soon found out his tourist magnet was protected wetlands and the EPC was primortaly pissed.

City planners cringed when they learned soil was being moved around the property with tractors, paths were being cleared, and old structures demolished. Anderson Advertising, who spoke on Svensson's behalf, denied it all.

"We need to send someone out there and get him to cease and desist," said Christa Hull, a natural resources scientist with the county.

When Svensson finally came forward all he would say was that he hoped to open in November. Apparently all went well and despite EPC concerns, the property has become a land of the lost.

The 'ol smoking dino gag gets 'em every time!

Since our initial visit to Dinosaur World, the premises has continued to expand. In brochures and billboards along the I-4 corridor, the park has given itself the distinction of being the "World's Largest Dinosaur Attraction."

A manufactured cave dwelling now houses an exhibit on how the creatures are created. Styrofoam blocks are carved into models and covered in aluminum foil to cast the fiberglass giants. Each is exported from Germany to the U.S. where they are painted. The entire process can take up to a year with some species.

As the bone count continues to rise along the swamp banks in Plant City, so does the dinosaurs thirst for blood. Newer additions at the park have grimacing expressions accented by red spattered teeth. Some are depicted feeding on others. In one of the more gruesome displays, a Gasosaurus chows down on the exposed innards of its prey while a Velociraptor appears to be retreating on a full stomach.

Perhaps what is most ironic about having such a collection of dinosaurs smack dab in the center of Florida is that most scientists believe that the reptiles never dwelled in the state. It is an argument that has been hotly contested. In neighboring Mulberry, the Phosphate Museum has set up shop in two old railroad cars, displaying what it believes to be prehistoric fossils pulled from the town's quarries.

Dinosaur World
5145 Harvey Tew Road
Exit 10 off I-4
Plant City, FL
In the neighborhood - Branch Ranch