Billions of Years Ago Blog

Jane

Stan Sue









Went to the Burpee Museum of Natural History to see Jane, the juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex. I’ve been a T-Rex fan since I was four, and I’m pleased to say that I have seen the three most spectacular examples known: Sue (Chicago, IL), Stan (Black Hills, South Dakota), and Jane (Rockford, IL). Apparently you don’t have to actually discover the fossil to have it named after you. Jane was a rich benefactor that gave Burpee the money (despite any misgivings she might have had about their stupid name) to go out to Hell’s Creek, Montana and make this wonderful discovery.

Sue is the most complete T-Rex ever found, and I met the woman who discovered the fossil, Sue Hendrickson. She is most personable and spent hours signing autographs and meeting her fans in Chicago. And yes, I was the only one in line older than nine. So what’s your point?

Anyhoo…no one can sex these specimens for certain, but a theory holds that the female would have greater calcium stores in her thighbones, like modern-day chickens, that would assist in the production of eggs. Age of the dinosaur at death can be determined by counting the rings of their growth in a bone cross-section. Sue died at twenty-eight, and the maximum end of the lifespan is thought to be thirty. Jane was eleven.

There was some debate as to whether Jane was a Tyrannosaurus at all, since she looked quite different from the adult specimens. Supposedly they went through an incredible growth spurt in their teens, reaching maximum size at twenty.

The Burpee museum in general was very disappointing; thank goodness it only cost $5. Without this find, they well may have closed their doors. There’s not much else to excite, and this put them on the map forever. At least the gift shop had a reasonably priced T-Shirt and I was able to get a $15 proclamation that I have indeed been to the museum.

There’s a symposium in September that will gather all the heavy hitters of the T-Rex world for a two-day conference, and the public may attend. For a mere $85. If I really thought I could understand more than 10% of the technical jargon they may be spouting, I would consider it. Lunch included! Cold cuts, whoo-hoo!

What I’m Reading: Secret Life of Bees
What I’m Watching: Daily Show
What I’m Listening to: Kira, Kira
What I’m Recommending: I’m Not the New Me, by Wendy McClure
Stay away from: Homicide Bombers