We’ve known this day was coming for a while now, but it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach. Today, the Field Museum will begin removing beloved dinosaur skeleton SUE the T. rex from its current perch in Stanley Field Hall, making way for a cast of a gigantic titanosaur, a flock of pterosaurs and some hanging gardens that should be installed by June. Thankfully, SUE isn’t leaving the Field Museum for good—the dino bones will be back on display in a new section of the museum’s “Evolving Planet” exhibition in spring 2019.
To mark the occasion, SUE dictated their own press release, inviting “enSUEsiasts” to come and pay their respects and stating that “offerings of ham are not required, but graciously accepted.” The release also assured fans that SUE will maintain their hilarious Twitter presence (@SUEtheTrex) throughout the transition, so you can expect plenty of jokes about life as a disassembled dino and playful criticism of the forthcoming Jurassic World sequel in the interim.
Field Museum staff will begin SUE’s relocation at noon today, starting by removing the skeleton’s feet and the tip of its tail. Guests will be able to observe the T. rex’s various parts being dismounted throughout the month of February—if you’re an Illinois resident, you won’t even have to pay, because the Field Museum is offering free basic admission every day through February 28. What’s better than skeletal disassembly and a free museum day?