Dino Debut
A rare, life-sized replica of a 67 million-year-old dinosaur is on display at the University of Texas-San Antonio’s Institute of Texan Cultures from mid-August until the first week of November.
“A T. rex Named Sue,” a touring exhibit created by the Field Museum of Chicago, features the world’s largest, most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex yet discovered, and makes its Texas debut at the ITC.
The 42 foot-long by 12-foot-high replica is named after Sue Hendrickson, the fossil hunter who discovered the dinosaur bones in South Dakota in 1990. Although a foot, an arm, and a few ribs and vertebrae are missing, Sue includes one of the two complete T. rex forelimbs ever found.
The bilingual exhibit (English and Spanish) features a cast of the dinosaur skull and touchable models of the teeth, interactive kinetic models that demonstrate the functional anatomy of a T. rex, informational kiosks with seeing and smelling devices, and videos on the evolving theories throughout the 20th century of what a T. rex looked like and how Field Museum scientists obtained CT images of “Sue’s” skull.
Other ITC dinosaur exhibits on display during the T. rex exhibit include “Dinosaurs in Motion,” featuring roaring dinosaurs and interactive stations that allow control of the actions of the dinosaurs; the “Dino-Maze,” a huge outdoor, walk-through maze that tests knowledge of dinosaurs; and “The Bone Zone,” an interactive area with children’s activity centers including a reading zone, a fossil wall and a dig box where participants can unearth dinosaur bones.
Educational activities include videoconferencing, programming with “Dino George,” puppet shows and a video, “The Dinosaurs of Texas: T-rex’s Southern Cousins.”
The dinosaur exhibits are included with admission. Admission is: adults, $8.50; seniors (65 years and older), $6; military personnel (I.D. required), $6;children 3-12 years of age, $5; children 2 years of age and under, free. The Dino-Maze is $2 per person in addition to regular admission.
Hours of operation are 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon-5 p.m., Sunday; and closed Monday.
For more information about Institute of Texan Cultures exhibits and activities, call 210-458-2330 or visit www.texancultures.utsa.edu
--From the September 2004 Austin Review KB