The Tyrannosaurus rex

Did you know?

March 23, 2020 – The Tyrannosaurus rex specimen on display in Dinosaur Hall at Discovery Park of America is a plaster replica of one of the most famous dinosaurs ever recovered – Stan the T. rex. Stan was discovered in the spring of 1987 in Harding County, South Dakota by an amateur paleontologist named Stanley Sacrison. It is customary for a dinosaur to be given a common name after its finder (hence Stan), although each has a distinct catalog identification number as well. At the time of his discovery, Stan was the largest T. rex to have been found, though he is now third in that category.

During his life, Stan fought with another T. rex and suffered a broken neck as a result – this is indicated by a number of puncture wounds near the base of the skull that match T. rex teeth, as well as fused cervical vertebra. The fusion of the vertebra suggests than Stan survived this attack and lived for years afterwards! It is believed that Stan died at about 24 years old before being buried in sand and lost to time for 65 million years before being unearthed by humans. In 2013, Discovery Park of America joined a small elite family of museums that house a replica of this historically and scientifically significant dinosaur.

For more “Did You Know” articles, check out our latest blog posts.

Also, be sure to watch our “Moments of Discovery” on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Guest Blogger: Nathaniel Newlin