What is 41 feet long, 13 feet high and has a five-foot-long head that weighs over a ton?

A Tyrannosaurus rex named Sue.

The world-famous Field Museum, located on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, recently unveiled the long awaited exhibit of Sue, the most complete T. rex skeleton ever uncovered. Sue, named after the fossil hunter that discovered “her” (it’s not known if Sue was a female or male) has 90% of her bones intact, and has led scientists to discover previously unknown facts about T. rex.    

After a CT scan of Sue’s skull, scientists theorize that the olfactory bulbs of the T-Rex, used for the sense of smell, were larger than the cerebrum, the thinking part of their brains. Her one-ton skull held teeth the size of a human forearm and could have eaten a human – had they been around 65 million years ago -- in two bites. 

Due to the weight of Sue’s skull, a copy is mounted on the skeleton. The real skull is displayed at eye level so that visitor can get an eye-to-eye view of the fascinating details of its five-foot length. Specially created videos and hands-on activities take visitors into the depths of Sue’s skull and encourage amateur scientists to make their own investigations.

In addition to the display itself, many additional activities are planned to enhance the experience. From June 3 - August 28, John Lanzendorf will be on hand most days from noon till 5 p.m. to informally discuss the exhibit with visitors.  Call to verify dates as they are subject to Mr. Lanzendorf’s availability.

The museum will also present a musical, Dancing with Dinosaurs: The Story of Sue, in conjunction with the Teens Together Ensemble. This 30-minute show features colossal puppets specially created for this show. This traveling theater format will take visitors through the various exhibition halls which house the museum’s dinosaur collections.

In addition to being a destination in itself, The Field Museum has a variety of travel programs to natural history sites throughout the world.