The world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever discovered is coming to the Buckeye State.
COSI Columbus, 333 W. Broad St., will host “Dino Summer,” a themed exhibit that will include many dinosaur related experiences. A life-size replica of Sue, the largest, most complete and best preserved T-rex ever discovered will be the star attraction.
The “Dino Sue” exhibit will feature the story of the discovery of the fossil through original video footage, freestanding interactive exhibits, colorful graphics and touchable casts of bones.
Visitors will be able to control the movements of the dinosaur’s jaw, tail, neck and forelimbs with interactive anatomical models. They will also be able to experience an eye-level view of Sue’s massive skull and touch models of its 12-inch long teeth.
The dinosaur remains are named after its founder Sue Hendrickson, who discovered the T-rex on Aug. 12, 1990, on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
Sue is 90 percent complete, missing only an arm and a few vertebrae. The dinosaur is 45 feet long, has a skull that weighs nearly one ton and is about 67 million years old.
“Guests that visit the exhibit will be amazed. It is very rare that we find skeletal remains where all or most of the remains are still intact,” said Leonard Sparks, COSI exhibit area manager.
Sparks said by re-creating the skeletal remains of the dinosaur, scientists can begin to speculate and try to understand how the animal lived millions of years ago. Scientists can try to determine how it walked, how it supported its weight, how large the animal was and even the nature of its diet.
“The fact that a team of scientists could locate this T-rex, gather all the bones and then put it together is a major accomplishment,” Sparks said. “I think young people will be fascinated not only by the sight of the T-rex but also by the entire process of its discovery.”
According to The Chicago Field Museum, the dinosaur lived a long life, and when it died its massive body was covered by the fine silt of an ancient river. For millions of years, while continents shifted around the dinosaur and countless species came and went, Sue lay buried deep within the Black Hills of South Dakota. There it waited, slowly fossilizing, until it was discovered.
The exhibit will be at COSI May 26 through Sept. 3. The cost for admission is $12 for adults, $7 for youths and free for COSI members. Additional information can be found at www.cosi.org.
