Tyler Hodel's survival instincts kicked in big time yesterday at the Bishop Museum's Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit.

The 2-year-old tourist from Ventura, Calif., was perched on dad Ken's shoulders while mom, Jen, prepared to take their photo. But Tyler could clearly see an enormous Tyrannosaurus rex approaching him from the vicinity of the Castle Memorial Building. Could there be a more inconvenient time for mom to want him to be still for a photo?

The T-rex roared, showed its enormous teeth, moved its mighty claws. The monster's evil yellow eyes seemed to be fixed on Tyler, and it looked hungry.

Tyler peered over his shoulder anxiously and struggled while Ken said, "He won't hurt you, buddy. He's not real."

Tyler still howled his concern.

The T-rex, known as the "tyrant lizard" according to the exhibit, has been extinct for millions of years, but he and some of his fearsome, mechanized relatives appeared quite lifelike yesterday, especially to the little people who thronged the museum show.

Chris Chan and Janet Kim from South Korea were on hand with their son, Young-ha, 3, and daughter Allison, 20 months. Allison snoozed in the stroller while fearless Young-ha ran toward the T-rex.

"He's freaked out to see the moving dinosaur," Chan said.

Young-ha bolted for his mother when the T-rex turned its head and roared at him.

"He's saying hello to the dinosaur, but he's scared," she said, hugging her son.

Alina Quinto, 3, from Alaska, took in the T-rex, extended her little arms as far as she could and exclaimed: "Big, big dinosaur!"

She attended the exhibit with her 5-year-old sister, Trinity, grandmother Fia Taualo of Kapolei and great-aunt Miriam Kanae of Maui.

"She loves dinosaurs," her great-auntie said.

"I like that T-rex," Alina said emphatically.

Why?

"Because I like that T-rex," she said.

Some kids ran away when the dinosaurs roared; Alina was enchanted.

Inside the hall the exhibits had buttons the kids could push to make the dinosaurs roar and move.

Alina got as close as possible to the Yangchuano-saurus, which, according to the display, "used its massive claws to slash and tear" its prehistoric foes.

"That's T-rex's daddy," she told Trinity.

Jet Okura, 4, told his mother, Eri, of Kaimukí, that he liked the Yangchuanosaurus because it could enjoy "stomping through the jungle with dirty feet." Jet stomped about to demonstrate his enthusiasm.

Then it was on to the Stegosaurus juvenile with its row of armor plates running down its back.

Trinity and Alina reached out rather tentatively to pet the Stegosaurus, also known as the roof lizard. Trinity said she liked the Stegosaurus, but she wouldn't want one on her roof.

Alina said he was T-rex's little brother.

Alina couldn't get enough, running from one exhibit to the next, wearing out everyone with questions: "What's that one?" she demanded. "What's that one? What's that big green dinosaur (the Allosaurus) called?"

She especially liked the Deinonychus, also known as the Terrible Claw.

Meanwhile, Jill Luber of Waimänalo was explaining to her 3-year-old son, Jason, (again) that the dinosaurs were not flesh and blood.

"See?" she said as the Stegosaurus juvenile turned its head and looked his way. "You can hear the machine moving him. It's a machine, it's not here to scare you."

But Jason evidently likes being scared. "He's come three times already," Luber said. "He says, 'I don't want to be fed to the dinosaur.' It's a joke."

Then she asked Jason: "Can I feed you to the dinosaur now?"

If you're brave enough to take it in, the exhibit runs through Jan. 4.