Sue December 27, 2009

On May 17, 2000 The Field Museum unveiled 'Sue,' the largest, most complete and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossil yet discovered. The skeleton on display is the real thing. Not a plastic model or a plaster cast. Not a patchwork or composite of bones from different specimens. 'Sue' stands 13 feet high at the hips and 42 feet long from head to tail. One of the only pieces of 'Sue' that is not mounted is her five-foot-long skull, which is too heavy to be placed on the steel armature that holds together her more than 200 fossilized bones. In its place, the Museum has installed a cast replica. Sue's real skull is on display in an exhibit on the second-floor balcony overlooking Stanley Field Hall. Here, visitors can get an up-close view of 'Sue's' massive head, as well as some insight into the mounting process and the story of how 'Sue' ended up at The Field Museum.