The largest and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton to date, known as “Sue,” was found on August 12, 1990.
The largest and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton to date, known as “Sue,” was found on August 12, 1990.
Susan “Sue” Hendrickson, a paleontologist, made the discovery. The skeleton was eventually sold for $7.6 million, which is the most money ever paid for a dinosaur skeleton.
Largest Tyrannosaurus Rex Dinosaur Skeleton Discovered
Sue Hendrickson discovered the skeleton in South Dakota. Its great value stems from the fact that it is 80% complete.
It is 12.9 meters long, and it is estimated that the Tyrannosaurus Rex to which it belonged weighed around 6.4 tons when it was alive.
Illustrating images
Due to the nickname “Sue”, it is often referred to as a female’s skeleton, but the actual sex of the individual in question remains unknown.
“Sue” lived around 67 million years ago, and died at the age of 28, the longest any tyrannosaur is known to have lived.
This Tyrannosaurus, nicknamed Sue in her honor, was the object of a legal battle over its ownership.
The best preserved skeleton to date has been discovered and named “Sue”
In 1997 this was settled in favor of Maurice Williams, the original land owner. The fossil collection was purchased by the Field Museum of Natural History at auction for $7.6 million, making it the most expensive dinosaur skeleton to date.
Today the skeleton is an exhibit in the famous Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. The skeleton’s teeth are up to 30.5 centimeters long, and its huge skull weighs 272 kilograms.
