Visitors to Chicago’s Field Museum will recognize the famous face—well, skull—of SUE, the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found. The dinosaur was first discovered by Sue Hendrickson in 1990 and unveiled to the public at the Chicago museum in May 2000. Since then, this Cretaceous celebrity has been displayed, studied, and even tattooed on particularly dedicated fans. Now, St. Louisans have the opportunity to see SUE on home turf when SUE: The T. Rex Experience opens at the Saint Louis Science Center.
Opening June 8, this special exhibition supplements SUE’s impressive skeleton with several interactive exhibits featuring both English and Spanish translations. Five different areas are dedicated to SUE’s world, excavation, ongoing dinosaur research, and other creatures that lived alongside the T. rex, including a full-scale Triceratops.
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But the centerpiece is one of three existing copies of SUE, enhanced by an educational light show and panels dedicated to what we know about their life. SUE was an elderly dinosaur at the time of their death, around 28 years old, and sustained injuries, infections, and damage from arthritis. Interactive touch screens let visitors learn more about individual points of interest and pieces of the fossil.
SUE: The T. Rex Experience is a true multi-sensory exploration of the Cretaceous period. Visitors can touch fossil casts, dinosaur skin, and fur representative of species alive during the era, as well as casts of individual bones from SUE. Explore the “SUE’s World” section of the exhibition to sniff examples of Cretaceous plant life and—if you’re brave—SUE’s breath or feel and hear the rumble of a T. rex roar.
“What’s great about this exhibit is you’re getting a real 360 feel for the world that SUE lived in, the way SUE was discovered, and what we’re still learning about SUE today,” says Kaylia Eskew, special exhibitions manager at the Science Center.
One of Eskew’s favorite pieces in the exhibition is the “fleshed-out SUE,” a life-size reproduction of the dinosaur chomping down on an Edmontosaurus that is only displayed as part of the SUE: The T. Rex Experience tour. From this recreation, visitors can see the way that scientists’ understanding of the T. rex has changed over time.
“As science has advanced, we’re learning that sometimes [dinosaurs] weren’t as dark as we thought,” says Eskew. “Our own dinosaur downstairs recently got kind of a facelift, so you get to see some of the colors shift.” Paleontologists have also learned more about the T. rex’s famously tiny arms since SUE first went on display. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that the creature’s hands were turned inward, illustrating that these dinosaurs were, as Eskew says, “clappers, not slappers.”
In addition to all that SUE: The T. Rex Experience has to offer, the Science Center has plenty of dino-themed accompanying programming planned for the summer. Daily presentations at the Energy Stage will explore fossils and other paleontology topics, dinosaur-themed games and Makerspace creations will be on offer, and daring visitors can go on a Dinosaur Safari virtual-reality ride in the Adventure Pod.
“A lot of people have seen SUE before. We hosted a SUE exhibit back in 2008, and I feel like this is a brand-new view of it. You really get to be wowed by dinosaurs again,” says Eskew. “The kiddos and the 90-year-old kiddos can come in here and go, ‘Woah!’ And I’m super excited for that.”
SUE: The T. Rex Experience runs through early September at the Saint Louis Science Center. For tickets and more information, visit slsc.org.
