The best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen — or at least a replica — is on display at the St. Louis Science Center until September.
“SUE: The T. rex Experience” features two life-sized skeletal casts and six exhibition areas about life during the Cretaceous Period, more than 60 million years ago. The skeleton is on full display, standing more than 13 feet tall and 40 feet long.
“The coolest thing is the size,” said Doug Bolnick, a spokesperson for the Science Center. “You've seen a skeleton, you see pictures, but to see how big it is within touching distance is amazing to me.”
Sue is the most comprehensive T. rex fossil ever discovered, at nearly 90% complete.
Guests shouldn’t confuse Sue for the Science Center’s animatronic dinosaurs, since this one is only visiting.
The traveling exhibit also features the latest scientific discoveries about the species and a full sensory experience — including the breath of a T. rex. Scientists recreated the smell using bacteria simulation, said Kaylia Eskew, the Science Center's special exhibitions manager.
“It's a great way to live like Sue,” Eskew said. “You're going to be smelling bacteria, flesh, and a lot of it rotting.”
There’s also flower-scented displays aimed at immersing visitors into Sue’s environment. Before then a guided light show introduces guests to each part of Sue’s skeletal system. A life-sized triceratops sits by a sculpture of Sue’s body, with a display to touch a part of its skin.
“Everyone we talked to, at some point they wanted to be a paleontologist. They want to go out there and they want to find those dinosaur bones,” Eskew said. “Here you get to do it. The kiddos and the 90-year-old kiddos, they can come in here and go ‘Wow!’”
Scientists found Sue in Hell Creek, South Dakota, in 1990. Rings on Sue’s bones indicate it lived to 28 years old, a full life for a Tyrannosaurus rex. Scientists can’t agree whether it’s a male or female dinosaur, which contributed to Sue’s social media fame.
Entry to the museum is free, but special tickets are required for the exhibit. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for children, seniors and military personnel and $6 for Science Center members.
