Intro to Dino 101: The Chicago Field Museum's SUE the Tyrannosaurus rex
Intro to Dino 101 is where we get back to the dinosaur basics. Or, for many of us, get to the basics for the first time.
Like I always remind folks, you don’t need to know anything at all about dinosaurs to enjoy travelling with Dinosaur Trips. Our trips and holidays are all about discovery and comfort, and that idea goes for this newsletter as well. We’re just here to point to some of the basics.
The World's Largest T. rex
Sue is the nickname given to FMNH PR 2081, one of the largest, most extensive, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimens ever found. SUE was discovered on August 12, 1990 by American explorer and fossil collector Sue Hendrickson, and was named after her.
There’s a whole set of stories and suspense around SUE’s discovery, ownership (including people getting prison sentences!), and preservation that we’ll definitely delve into over some delightful beverages in Chicago. But what we’re covering in this edition of Intro to Dino 101 is the sheer size and magnitude of this awesome T. rex skeleton.
At more than 40 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hip, SUE is physically the largest Tyrannosaurus rex specimen discovered. Out of more than 30 T. rex skeletons that have been found, SUE is also the most complete, at around 90 per cent. In fact, the Field Museum Chicago has 250 of the approximately 380 known bones in the T. rex skeleton. Amazing. Can’t wait to see SUE in person this summer.
Oh yeah, and SUE is also… great on social media?! Be sure to give SUE a follow on Twitter. .