Stalking in the imagination of every child is the great Tyrannosaurus rex, the Tyrant Lizard King of the dinosaurs. On March 11, this culturally omnipresent dino will come to life at ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) in T. rex: The Ultimate Predator presented by Desjardins Group. Visitors will feast on this spectacular new exhibition from the American Museum of Natural History that features more than 40 models and casts, many full-sized and towering over guests. And, only at ROM, visitors will be invited to delve into the paleontological process with a special ROM Spotlight section highlighting actual fieldwork from a recent ROM-led tyrannosaur dig. Fans of this celebrity dinosaur will also have the opportunity to experience up-close an imposing real fossil T. rex skull almost five feet long, along with other tyrannosaur fossil specimens from Canada.
“With its dynamic blend of skeletons, life-like models, and digital experiences, T. rex rekindles a childlike awe for a ferocious hunter that has long loomed large in the public consciousness,” says Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO.
For guests of all ages, T. rex is an adventure of imagination and exploration. Captivating young minds, filled with ideas of what it would be like to have lived with the dinosaurs, and guiding through the epic journeys of evolution and scientific discovery, this exhibition will thrill and engage all who dare enter.
“As Canada’s largest museum, the ROM plays an important role in Ontario’s tourism industry and economy, attracting millions of local and international visitors,” says Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “I invite dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages to experience T. rex: The Ultimate Predator this spring and summer and use the opportunity to check out the ROM’s other offerings, including millions of artworks, artifacts and specimens.”
Just how did T. rex get so big, so bad and so famous? This exhibition will answer those questions and other fascinating queries about the tyrannosaur family through impressive displays including large-scale video projections, an exhilarating interactive reality experience, and plenty of hands-on activities for kids to engage with — all grounded in the latest scientific research on this fascinating predator.
Despite what people may think, the full tyrannosaur story includes dozens of different species spanning over 100 million years of evolution, with the best-known — T. rex — only appearing just before it and the other dinosaurs were wiped from the face of the Earth by a devastating asteroid impact. With this exhibition, visitors will also learn about many types of tyrannosaurs of the superfamily Tyrannosauroidea that lived between 167 and 66 million years ago and roamed across five continents.
“Some of the best tyrannosaur skeletons ever found come from the rich badlands of western Canada, which was home to a diverse group of tyrannosaurs, including T. rex, between 80 and 66 million years ago,” says Dr. David Evans, ROM Temerty Chair in Vertebrate Paleontology. “Western Canada is still one of the best places to go tyrannosaur hunting today, and we are excited to show off some jaw-dropping tyrannosaur fossils from Alberta in this exhibition.”
In the ROM Spotlight section of the exhibition, visitors will dig into the process of paleontological fieldwork while viewing the toothy jawbone from a giant Daspletosaurus, a close cousin of T. rex, unearthed just last summer by Dr. Evans and crew from a site near the hamlet of Manyberries, Alberta. This space will also reveal how ROM fossil preparators do the meticulous work of digging up and revealing the hidden fossil treasures as they prepare the bones for study and display.
While exploring the exhibition, visitors will confront a life-sized animation of T. rex and encounter full-scale models of a T. rex during different growth phases, from a fluffy helpless T. rex hatchling to a four-year-old juvenile and finally as a massive, chomping adult T. rex.
The evolution of T. rex will be further illustrated by real fossil specimens from Canada on display for visitors to study. In addition to the Daspletosaurus, there will be fossil skulls of an Albertosaurus sarcophagus and a Gorgosaurus libratus. A highlight exhibition will be a stunning real fossil T. rex skull that is over 4 ½ feet long, from the Royal Tyrrell Museum. It represents one of only three T. rex skeletons ever found in Canada, and is also remarkable for its black color that is due to the manganese absorbed as it underwent fossilization.
Members will have the first opportunity to experience T. rex at the Member Preview on Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11.
T. rex: The Ultimate Predator is on display at ROM from March 11 to Sept. 4, in ROM’s Special Exhibition Gallery, Level 1. Tickets went on sale January 17, 2023. This exhibition is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org).
