Paul M. Krueger

Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton found to date, is discovered by Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota.

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ㅤSue (officially designated FMNH PR 2081) is one of the largest, most complete, and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever found, which was roughly 90% complete. Discovered in South Dakota on August 12, 1990, by explorer Sue Hendrickson and a team from the Black Hills Institute, the find quickly became the center of a fierce legal dispute over ownership involving the landowner, the Sioux tribe, and the federal government. After an FBI raid and a lengthy court battle, ownership was awarded to the landowner, Maurice Williams, who put the fossil up for public auction in 1997. To ensure the invaluable skeleton remained accessible to the public and scientific community, Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History, backed by major corporate donors like McDonald’s and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, purchased Sue for a then-record $8.36 million.

ㅤFollowing its historic acquisition, the fossil underwent years of meticulous, publicly visible preparation and advanced scientific study. Researchers discovered that the massive dinosaur measured over 40 feet long, weighed an estimated 8.4 to 14 metric tons, and lived to be between 27 and 33 years old, making it one of the oldest known T. rex specimens. The bones also paint a grueling picture of the dinosaur’s life, showing evidence of healed fractures, arthritis, gout, and severe bone and parasitic infections. Sue was unveiled to the public in 2000 and was later moved to a dedicated, state-of-the-art exhibition suite in 2018 with an updated anatomical mount. Today, despite recent debates among paleontologists regarding whether it belongs to a proposed new species (Tyrannosaurus imperator), Sue remains a permanent and iconic fixture at the Field Museum.