Celebrating Sue the T. rex! A Colossal Fossil!

Come one, come all! Step right up and see the grandest Tyrannosaurus rex that ever lived! Her name is FMNH PR-2081, or Sue to most of us, and she measured 42ft long, 13ft tall, and weighed over 9 tons! She's the biggest T. rex we know of, and the oldest too, dieing at the ripe old age of 28. So gather round for a (not so brief) illustrated history of the dinosaur we all love: SUE! 

Discovery 

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In the hands of Peter Larson: 

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Cleaned up by the Field Museum: 

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HYPE! 

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Debut and Exhibition: 

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AMNH 5027, truly a magnificent specimen!

AMNH 5027 is the New York T. rex. This thread is for the Chicago one.

I saw the Sue traveling exhibit a few years back at the Liberty Science Center. It was a cast on tour, naturally, but it was still an awesome experience.

I saw Sue back in 2000 during the summer. I've always wanted to see a real Tyrannosaurus Rex so seeing her was a huge must for me. It was a dream come true. Words can never express how awe struck I was, and still am to a curtain extent, about seeing her.

CT-1138 wrote:

AMNH 5027 is the New York T. rex. This thread is for the Chicago one.

Yeah, got mixed up. Was referring to this Tyrannosaur specimen scale

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specimens_of_Tyrannosaurus#/media/File:Trexsilouette.jpg

I live in Chicago, so I've been able to see Sue more than once - truly a magnificent specimen and always a pleasure to see.

I hope I get the chance to visit the Chicago Field Museum someday, as much as I've been in awe of Sue I've never had the chance to be in her presence.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Sue twice. She's one of the coolest things I have ever seen. It's wild that a predator that big was once walking around North America! It's also pretty crazy that her skull is so heavy that the Field Museum keeps it in a glass case upstairs and use a cast skull for the skeleton.

Sue was discovered 26 years ago on this very day.

After nearly 18 years of being the centerpiece of the Field Museum's main hall, Sue is being packed up and boxed for a year. Her place in Stanley Field Hall will be replaced with the largest dinosaur ever discovered: Patagotitan. I was there on opening night, and I'll be there tonight for the going away party. Farewell, Sue, we'll see you again in 2019 when your new exhibition hall on the second floor is opened.

CT-1138 wrote:

After nearly 18 years of being the centerpiece of the Field Museum's main hall, Sue is being packed up and boxed for a year. Her place in Stanley Field Hall will be replaced with the largest dinosaur ever discovered: Patagotitan. I was there on opening night, and I'll be there tonight for the going away party. Farewell, Sue, we'll see you again in 2019 when your new exhibition hall on the second floor is opened.

I really wish that the Field Museum would have just kept Sue as the centerpiece like the queen she is...

Well, thankfully the new facility they're moving her to looks fantastic. They'll be moving her to the refurbished 3D theater that I never cared to use.

More pics I've scanned of Sue...

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Sue's story goes on, now in her own private suite near the rest of the Cretaceous creatures!

Just imagine how amazing it would be to see an animal like this alive.