What is considered the largest and most scientifically significant dinosaur fossil ever displayed in North Florida is on exhibit through Sept. 23 at the Museum of Science & History on the Southbank.
The centerpiece of the exhibit, “A T. rex Named Sue,” is a 42-foot-long, 12-foot-tall replica cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil that’s part of the collection at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
The traveling exhibit also features a dig pit, descriptive video presentations and interactive kiosks.
The artifact was unearthed in Montana in 1990 by fossil hunter Sue Hendrickson, the namesake of the exhibit. In 1997, the Field Museum purchased the 65-milllion-year-old fossil for $8.4 million, setting the world record for the highest price paid for a fossil.
Only four T. rex specimens containing more than 60 percent of the skeleton have been discovered. Sue is more than 90 percent complete, missing only a foot, one arm and a few ribs and vertebrae.
Field Museum paleontologists determined that the dinosaur was 28 years old when it died, near the end of the academically accepted life span for the animal. The original relic is the oldest T. rex specimen fossil ever examined.
“The science behind Sue is groundbreaking. She was quite the find,” said MOSH Curator Christy Leonard.
The museum has scheduled a series of programs to complement the exhibit, including a presentation June 28 by Barry Albright, a paleontologist at the University of North Florida. He will tell the story of Sue’s discovery and the fossil’s journey to the Field Museum.
An overnight experience, “Dozing with Dinosaurs,” is scheduled July 29 when guests will spend the night in the museum.
A screening of the film “Jurassic Park” is scheduled Aug. 4 on the rooftop at the museum.
Leonard said the museum is expecting thousands of guests to view the exhibit.
“There is nothing more popular than dinosaurs,” she said.
For more information about MOSH programs and membership, visit themosh.org.
356-2466