SUE
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Catalog IRN: 2408746
Scientific Name: Tyrannosaurus rex Osborn, 1905
Applicable Code: ICZN
Genus: Tyrannosaurus
Species: imperator
Author(s): Paul & et al., 1922
Catalog IRN: 2408746
Scientific Name: Tyrannosaurus rex Osborn, 1905
Applicable Code: ICZN
Genus: Tyrannosaurus
Species: rex
Author(s): Osborn, 1905
Latitude:45.220178
Longitude:-101.952325
Collection Date:14-Aug-1990
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Morphology | skeleton is ca. 85% complete including skull and jaws. Post-cranium mounted w/ cast skull. Real skull & jaws in separate case. |
Scientific Name:Tyrannosaurus rex
Department(s):Geology
Catalog:Fossil Herps
Catalog Subset:Type
Catalog Number:PR 2081
Collector:Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Inc.
Field Number:8-14-90
Year Collected:1990
Earliest Period:Cretaceous
You may know SUE as the hilarious, pun-loving dinosaur turning Twitter into a personal smorgasbord.
Or you might treasure that selfie you snapped with this fearsome fossil looming overhead. But there’s a lot more to SUE’s story than 280 characters or a passing glance might offer. This specimen has been invaluable to the paleontological community since its discovery. And before settling into the luxurious life of a well-kept Chicago museum attraction, SUE had quite the history!
Dating back to the Cretaceous period—about 67 million years ago—this massive predator lived to the upper end of the life expectancy of a T. rex, about 28 years. (How do we know? Dinosaur bones have growth rings, just like trees. After examining these rings, scientists also determined that SUE had an adolescent growth spurt—gaining as much as 4.5 pounds per day—and reached full size at age 19.)
Sue Hendrickson
SUE’s sex is unknown; this T. rex is named for Sue Hendrickson, who discovered the dinosaur in 1990 during a commercial excavation trip north of Faith, South Dakota.
Hendrickson spotted a few large vertebrae jutting out of an eroded bluff and followed her hunch that there were more beneath the surface. In the end, it took six people 17 days to extract the dinosaur’s bones from the ground where SUE was discovered.
The Cretaceous period begins.
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Learn about SUE
Meet the SUE Team
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Learning Resources
Showing results 1-24 of 24
3D Model: Cryolophosaurus Skull | Dinosaur Toolkit
Use this 3D model to see how scientists reconstruct animals like Cryolophosaurus from the fossil record.
Interactive or AppGrades PK-123D Model: Glacialisaurus Foot | Dinosaur Toolkit
Learn how the first giant dinosaurs like Glacialisaurus moved by exploring this 3D model.
Interactive or AppGrades PK-123D Model: Tyrannosaurus rex | Dinosaur Toolkit
Interact with this 3D model to find out what we can learn about SUE the T. rex's life by looking at its fossils, then test your knowledge
Interactive or AppGrades PK-12Being Big on Land
Learn why being big isn’t always an advantage and find out how mythic creatures like Godzilla and King Kong could never have carried their own weight.
VideoGrades 3-12Dinosaur Family Tree | Dinosaur Toolkit
Examine dinosaur physical traits to identify similarities and differences in their features and construct a system of classification.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-5Everything Has a Purpose | Exploring the Field Guide
Examine why plants and birds have certain features to uncover the relationship between structure and function.
ActivityGrades 3-5Exhibition Investigation Guide
Investigate a museum exhibition using the claim, evidence, reasoning cycle.
ActivityGrades 3-12Giants from the Past | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze and interpret data about sauropods and build a nonfiction narrative about how this group of dinosaurs evolved over millions of years.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Hominid Adaptations | Exploring the Field Guide
Investigate fossil remains of hominids to learn how humans and our relatives evolved over time.
ActivityGrades 6-8Island Evolution
Discover why islands contain so many unique species.
VideoGrades 6-12Mammal Phylogeny
Discover how scientists classify the diverse mammals found on Earth.
VideoGrades 6-12Mission to the Mesozoic
Find plants and animals across the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous time periods in this online game.
GameGrades 3-8Plate Motion Past and Present | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze and interpret data about the structures of Earth’s crust and the fossil record.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Pterosaurs and Tape Measures
Investigate the acutal sizes of these famous flying reptiles who lived side by side with dinosaurs.
ActivityGrades 3-8Rise of Dinosaurs | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze data from a mock fossil dig to determine the differences and similarities between multiple fossil dig sites.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-5Rock Clocks Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Discover how scientists determine the age of rocks and fossils and use those processes to develop a timeline of Earth's history.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-8SUE's World | Dinosaur Toolkit
Use fossils as clues to rebuild a North American landscape from the past and imagine the world where SUE the T. rex lived.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-5Survival of the Birds | Exploring the Field Guide
Infer whether a bird can survive in a specific environment by observing physical features such as beak, feathers, legs, and feet.
ActivityGrades 9-12The Brain Scoop: The Taxonomy of Candy
Scientists use a system called taxonomy to group and categorize living things. What happens when you try to apply taxonomy to candy?
VideoGrades 6-12The Brain Scoop: Tully Monster Mystery Solved!
Learn how researchers discovered the Tully Monster, long believed to be an invertebrate (similar to worms), is actually a vertebrate and more closely related to fish.
VideoGrades 3-12The Field Revealed: Tully Monster
Discover the Tully Monster, the state fossil of Illinois.
VideoGrades 3-12Today's Dinosaurs | Dinosaur Toolkit
Explore evidence in the physical features of living animals and dinosaur fossils to learn what living animal is most closely related to dinosaurs.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8What are Fossils Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Explore how fossils form and discover how scientists know where to find them.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-8Who were Dinosaurs? Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Uncover the features that all dinosaurs share, and determine whether a mystery species is a dinosaur.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-8
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SUE Press Kit
Acknowledgments
SUE the T. rex is part of the Griffin Dinosaur Experience, made possible by the generous support of Kenneth C. Griffin.