Sue the T-Rex. Photo via Twitter.
The Chicagoist has a great story about changes at the Field Museum. Sue is moving to her own space up inside Evolving Planet, and a new cast of the largest dinosaur every discovered will be installed in Stanley Field Hall. The new dinosaur, Patagotitan mayorum, a titanosaur from South America, will be installed in the Spring of 2018.
Some literally massive changes are afoot at the Field Museum, as the beloved SUE the T. Rex will be moving from its famous entryway mount to a new gallery, making way for a touchable cast of a mammoth titanosaur—the world's largest, in fact. The move means our dear old SUE will be out of public view for more than a year—although SUE does seem quite happy about getting a "private suite."
The massive newcomer is cast from bones of Patagotitan mayorum and stretches longer that two CTA accordion buses and is so tall that it stands eye-to-eye with the second floor balcony, according to Field. “The titanosaur is huge, and it’ll look right at home in Stanley Field Hall,” said Senior Exhibitions Project Manager Hilary Hansen in a release. “It’s a big, majestic space, which will be the perfect backdrop for the world’s largest dinosaur.”
But that sheer size of course means that SUE will have to vacate their iconic perch (SUE prefers they/them pronouns, don't you know?). The fan favorite is also undergoing some upgrades during the big move—which explains why the dino will be off exhibition for such an extended time: SUE will be taken down in February of next year and won't be unveiled in the new gallery until spring of 2019.
As for SUE, our old friend is taking the move news the best way they know how, by yucking it up on social media, where SUE described their new digs as a "SPECIAL THRONE ROOM" and championed the new location's "better defensible position against velociraptor attacks and reduced exposure to possible meteorite collisions."
An illustration from the Field Museum shows the future placement of the Patagotitan mayorum in Stanley Field Hall. (The Field Museum)
