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Last winter the Field Museum’s skeleton crew moved SUE the T. Rex out of Stanley Hall, the cavernous marble entrance where the dinosaur had been since 2000. While on vacation, the skeleton received a few scientific updates and will be heading to their new “private suite” in Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet exhibit on Friday, December 21.
After SUE was packed up, Stanley Hall underwent a massive renovation which included adding giant hanging gardens, a flock of flying reptiles, and a 122-foot, plant-eating titanosaur named Maximo.
“When SUE was in Stanley Field Hall, a lot of people would say, ‘Aw, SUE’s smaller than I thought.’ This new gallery does a better job showing how imposing SUE would have been in real life. This is the biggest, scariest, and most impressive SUE’s ever looked,” said Field Museum president Richard Lariviere in a statement.
The 5,100-square-foot space will have interactive displays and animations that will show SUE’s environment and how the dinosaur would have interacted with others. People will get to learn what scientists have discovered about the T. Rex species too. SUE’s old placement wasn’t able to convey much information, so visitors will have a completely different experience.
Moving SUE into a new space allows the museum to better show off the fossil and put the dinosaur into proper scientific context, something that’s been in works for decades, according to the announcement. SUE will have a new look as well. Bones called gastralia were originally left off because scientists couldn’t figure out how they fit into the fossil. Turns out they help T. Rex breathe and will be placed underneath the abdomen.
“We can’t wait to reintroduce SUE to the world,” said Director of Exhibitions Jaap Hoogstraten. “SUE is the crown jewel of the Field’s collections, and now we’re finally showing them off the way they deserve.”