The Field Museum Information: Press Room

The robotic Tyrannosaurus rex in the exhibition is the most accurate three-dimensional representation ever of how theropod dinosaurs walked.

A total of 50 mechanical parts were required to make each of the robotic Tyrannosaurus rex’s second toes flex in the subtle, curling pattern described by scientists.

There are 463 handmade models of animals in the Liaoning Forest diorama.

There are 24 models of non-avian dinosaurs in the Liaoning Forest diorama.

Museum preparators hand-painted 12,000 leaves for the trees in the Liaoning Forest diorama.

There are 58 real fossils in the exhibition, 30 of which are dinosaurs or dinosaur parts.

Nearly every plant and animal on display in the Liaoning Forest diorama is extinct today.

The Liaoning Forest diorama includes models of four bird species, two extinct aquatic reptile species, three pterosaur species, three fish species, three mammal species, one species of turtle, and two amphibian species.

The trees and bushes portrayed in the Liaoning Forest diorama are based on specimens collected in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in Burlington County. Some paleobotanists think it is the best contemporary reference on Earth today for what plant life looked like in this prehistoric forest.

The leaves for four species of plants and trees in the diorama are made of brass for reasons of durability and ease of fabrication.

The background for the Liaoning Forest diorama was painted on a single, flat canvas measuring 700 square feet, and later stretched to form the curved backdrop of the diorama.

The full-size Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton cast breaks down into nine sections, the full-size biomechanical Apatosaurus model breaks down into ten pieces, and the base of the Liaoning Forest diorama breaks down into nine sections on wheels so the entire exhibition can be transported to and installed in other museums.