Dinos in the Desert

[ZoPteryx]

I figured this was the best spot for this thread, even if it isn't my art.

I took a little vacation to Anza-Borrego State Park in southernmost California.  The area is famous for its Bighorn Sheep, varied reptile fauna, spring flower blooms, and its Ice Age fossils.  While I didn't find any fossil, prehistoric creatures were still in abundance!

Teratorn Bird on its nest with an unfortunate snake snack.

Meanwhile, its mate was catching dinner.

Across the road, a herd of Ice Age horses were under attack from a pack of saber-tooths!


Feeling safe in their armor, a family of Ice Age giant tortoises grazed nearby.

In another area, a gomphothere wonders were all the water went.

Giant camels browse peacefully while mother an baby Megatherium walk past in the background.

A smaller ground sloth species also sought protection amongst the heard.

Meanwhile, a mother Tapir attempts to keep track of here babies.


I should note that these metal statues are not in the state park itself, but are in the town of Borrego Springs which is within (but not part of) the state park.  All of these Ice Age creatures have been found in fossil form in the surrounding state park and are (more or less) life sized.

Coming soon: Dinos, dragons, and grasshoppers oh my!

[ZoPteryx]

Look, they're here already!

While the mammals were right along the main road, the dinos and some other creatures loomed in the distance; only accessible via dirt road.

Spinosaurs just realizing he's not in Kansas Cretaceous North Africa anymore.

Tyrannosaurs roaring at the town of Borrego Springs.

Various time streams merge around this small desert town, to the great displeasure of an Allosaurus & Carnotaurus.

I'm not sure what this guy's suppossed to be, maybe a Baryonyx?

No, that's not a mirage.  It's a sea serpent, about to devour some lost tourists!

Close up of its well detailed head.

And finally, and for no apparent reason, two giant invertebrates locked in everlasting combat.  Or maybe they're just saying hi to each other.


And here's a picture I really like. From One Dino to Another

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Cool find and pics !  It's odd but the Dinos seem the..poorest ? of the lot. The serpent asian dragon looks really cool and from what I can tell the mammals look pretty accurate as well.  Any idea who made them  ?

[Meso-Cenozoic]

These are awesome sculpts! And big too, at least looking how small the people and car look compared to that sea serpent. Thanks for sharing! I'd also be curious who the artist is and what else he/she might have done.

[Gryphoceratops]

These are really cool!  That last photo at the end is neat too.  That bird is a shrike right?

[Takama]

sweet sculpter photos

[ZoPteryx]

Thanks for the compliments everyone!

These are really cool!  That last photo at the end is neat too.  That bird is a shrike right?

Yes, it's a Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus).

These are awesome sculpts! And big too, at least looking how small the people and car look compared to that sea serpent. Thanks for sharing! I'd also be curious who the artist is and what else he/she might have done.

All of paleo statues were life size (more or less) while the others were really big.  The tail end of the sea serpent was on the other side of the road!  The artist's name is Ricardo Breceda and he is a native of San Diego County, California.  As the story goes, the guy that owns the land around the small town (a certain Dennis Avery, who also owns Avery stationary supplies) had a vision to decorate the land with large pieces of art, so he hired Mr. Breceda to create these pieces that celebrate the regions natural history (at least, the mammals do).  The catch is, he didn't tell the town's residents of his plan, so these statues just "appeared over night" to their great surprise.  Some people started getting concerned, so eventually he told them.  Other statues I neglected to photograph were farmers working in fake vinyard, a missionary carrying a large cross, a jeep four-wheeling over a jump, and other paleo animals (mostly just repeats of the species shown, just in different poses).

Cool find and pics !  It's odd but the Dinos seem the..poorest ? of the lot.

Yeah, the dinos were definitely the poorest anatomically.  You can't see it in my photo, but the Carnotaurus's dew claws were attached backyards while the Allo's were just fine!  I'm not sure they were meant to viewed at close range though; just eery in the distance through the heat haze.

[Himmapaan]

These are absolutely amazing!

[Lady medusa]

this place is awesome! i love the prehistoric mammals and my fave would be the serpent dragon! whom ever sculpted these has a real talent with recycled metal.