On Monday 19 May (7pm – 8.30pm) Auckland Zoo invites all dinosaur lovers to get along to hear renowned American palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist, Dr Julia Clarke, who’ll be sharing fascinating insights into the secret lives of dinosaurs!

The passionate and respected Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology in the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas, Austin, was part of a team that first discovered the colours of some dinosaur feathers and was the first person to find a fossilised dinosaur’s voice box.

As part of her research into the relationship between dinosaurs and avian dinosaurs (modern birds), the publisher of over 140 papers has developed expertise on the penguin family, including extinct giant species), and worked on digs in the Chatham Islands and in the Antarctic.

Look forward to an exciting journey back and forth in time as the inspirational Dr Clarke unlocks a world of wonder about these pre-historic creatures and species living today that have evolved directly from dinosaurs.  A Q & A session will follow Dr Clarke’s talk, so be sure to have your questions ready!

Know before you go:

This event is held at The Domes theatre at Auckland Zoo. The rest of the Zoo will be closed during this time. Guests can pre-order a wine and cheese package. It is not possible to BYO food unless it is for babies or small infants.

General Admission Booking       Member Booking

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About Dr Julia Clarke

Julia A. Clarke is Professor of Vertebrate Paleontology in the Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas in Austin where she holds the Jackson Chair in Geobiology. She is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. She has published over 140 papers including 16 in the journals Nature and Science. She is interested in how new structures and functions arise in deep time with a focus on the evolution of dinosaurs including birds. She has an international field program in paleontology (e.g. in Antarctica, South America, Asia) as well as leading highly interdisciplinary collaborative teams integrating data on living animals to ask new questions of the fossil record.

Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Humboldt Foundation, The National Geographic Society, Explorers Club, AAAS, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and has been covered by NPR’s Science Friday, The New York Times, Washington Post, National Geographic Magazine, NOVA, and other outlets. She is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, American Ornithological Society, and The Anatomical Society. She received her degrees from Brown University (B.A) and Yale University (PhD). 

Dr Clarke, who is looking forward to visiting Auckland Zoo’s Dinosaur Discovery Track while in Auckland, is here in Aotearoa courtesy of the US Embassy to New Zealand who is proudly sponsoring her talk at Auckland Zoo.

A bar with Eftpos facilities (no cash) will be operational on each night for guests to purchase wine, beer, soft drinks and Proper crisps. There will be limited wine and cheese package available for purchase during the event – so we highly recommend you pre-book your package to avoid disappointment, pre-booking also means you get a discount off the full price. Bookings for these close 4 days before the event.

Wine and cheese package

  • The cheese plate consists of: 25g each of Brie, cheddar and blue cheese, and crackers
  • Wine selection: a glass of Kopiko Bay Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir*

*Customers can have a Karma apple juice, orange juice or sparkling water for the same price.

Dietary options

  • We can provide gluten free crackers.
  • We can provide vegan/dairy free cheese.
  • Any dietary requirements need to be stated when booking the cheese plate.

Pre-booking is essential, as tickets are not available for sale onsite on the night.

Talk date:

  • Monday 19 May 2025 - The Secret Lives of Dinosaur with Dr Julia Clarke

The start of the talk is 7pm, followed by a Q & A afterwards. Guests must be seated no later than 10 mins after the start time of the talk.

Admission will not be granted if guests arrive after 7:10pm. 

Wine and Cheese Package

Online wine and cheese package price:

  • $27 for the general public
  • $24.30 for members (10% off)

The wine and cheese package is best booked in advance to avoid disappointment. There will be some wine and cheese packages on offer on the night, but numbers will be very limited, so we highly recommended to pre-book online, bookings close:

  • Thursday 15 May 2025 @ 5pm or until sold out.

No changes in the number of guests to be catered for will be accepted after 5pm on the dates listed above.

Any decrease in the number of guests after a booking has been made will result in the original confirmed guest number being charged if a decrease is notified after the cut-off date and time.   

All guests who book are advised to enter their phone number so that the caterer can confirm the booking and advise of any updates or changes if needs be.

A cash bar will be operational on each night for guests to purchase wine, beer, soft drinks and Proper crisps.

Cancellation of the booking will, in Auckland Zoo’s discretion, result in a cancellation fee as follows:

  • Cancellation after 5pm, Thursday 15 May 2025 will incur a 100% cancellation fee; 
  • No concessions will be made for cancellations due to Covid-19, and all conditions above will apply. 

The Customer acknowledges that: 

  • Minimum orders may apply. 
  • Menu content is always subject to change due to market or seasonal availability; and 
  • Where, due to unforeseen circumstances (eg supplier shortage), the Zoo is unable to provide the agreed menu or Catering Services, The Zoo (via the caterer) reserves the right to adapt the menu and Catering Services via email with the customer. 
  • In the rare case that the Zoo is forced to cancel a session due to inclement weather, notice of cancellation will be provided within a day’s notice of a session. This is at the sole discretion of Zoo Management and all customers who have booked will receive a 100% refund. 
  • All event tickets are seated in The Domes. There is no allocated seats, first come first serve.