Tyrannosaurus rex comes to the Sedgwick Museum
The skull of Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the most fearsome and well known of the dinosaurs, is now on permanent display.
T. rex was a formidable predator having a metre-and-a-half long skull, strong, dagger-like teeth and powerful jaws that would have been strong enough to splinter bone. It was one of the largest carnivores to have walked the Earth and lived more than 65 million year ago during the Cretaceous period.
T. rex fossils are extremely rare, so the new skull is a high-fidelity cast obtained from the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, which carried out the excavation in South Dakota, USA. This animal has been nicknamed 'STAN' after Stan Sacrison, the amateur palaeontologist who originally discovered the skeleton.
Dr Leslie Noč, Major Projects Officer in the Sedgwick Museum, was quoted as saying "Tyrannosaurus is iconic of the giant, land living dinosaurs, and represents a fantastic addition to the Sedgwick Museum. I hope this T. rex specimen will enthral, educate and entertain our visitors and students for generations to come."
Dr David Norman, director of the Sedgwick Museum, said "T. rex is the most evocative of all dinosaurs. I am extremely pleased with our new acquisition and look forward to many people coming to enjoy the beauty of our new beast. Eventually, the skull will stand in pride of place, face to face with the plant-eating dinosaur Iguanodon already in the entrance of the Museum."
Dr Liz Hide, Joint Museums Officer for the Cambridge Museums, commented "A grant from the Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLA) Council allowed the Sedgwick Museum to obtain this amazing specimen."
25 May 2006
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