Museum of Natural History to Host Famous T. rex

The world's most famous dinosaur, A T. rex Named Sue, will soon roam the Museum of Natural History in Halifax.

It is the first Canadian museum to host the exhibition, Jan. 15 - May 8, which showcases the most complete tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever discovered. More than 10 million people have seen Sue during the tour, which has visited museums all over the world, most recently in Kuwait.

"The Museum of Natural History is very pleased and excited to host Sue in Halifax," said Janet Maltby, museum manager. "Sue represents one of the most important finds in paleontology and to be the first in Canada to host this exhibit is very special."

The centerpiece of A T. rex Named Sue is a fully articulated cast skeleton of the original. At 42 feet long and 12 feet high at the hips, Sue is an amazing specimen. Interactive displays will illustrate Sue's vision, smell, diet and movement. A dig pit will allow young visitors to dig for fossils and make their own discoveries.

Sue is named for Sue Hendrickson, who discovered the dinosaur remains in South Dakota during the summer of 1990 on a fossil hunting trip. The Field Museum in Chicago purchased Sue for $8.4 million and spent more than 30,000 hours preparing the skeleton. After the bones were prepared, The Field Museum made an exact, fully articulated replica that travels the world.

A T. rex Named Sue joins previously announced exhibits Netukulimk and Science on Sphere making 2011 one of the biggest exhibition years in the museum's history. Netukulimk looks at our relationship with the forest and opens June 3. Science On a Sphere is an exhibit that uses video projection to display planetary data onto a six foot diameter globe. Science On a Sphere opens for the first time in Canada on July 1.

For more information call 902-424-7353 or visit nature.museum.gov.ns.ca .