Trix the T. rex: temporary exhibition at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow (image heavy)

[ceratopsian]

Last week, my husband and I took the train up to Glasgow to visit the temporary travelling exhibition of the Tyrannosaurus rex fossil nicknamed Trix, on loan from Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands.  I was surprised he offered to come with me, as he's not usually keen on fossils – clearly a large carnivore exerts a certain fascination. It is on show at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, until 31st July, the only venue in the UK to which it will travel.  As it's such a long way for us, I advance booked – we would have looked very silly if it had been full!  But in fact the exhibition was very quiet when it opened at 10.00 in the morning – we chose a date before the school summer holidays start. This meant we could get very close to the fossil and have unobstructed views.

Trix was found in 2013 and excavated jointly by Naturalis and the Black Hills Institute.  One of the largest Tyrannosaurus rex known, the animal was old at the time of death.  Exactly how old cannot be established.  In keeping with great age, the fossil exhibits a number of interesting pathologies. The museum subscribes to the theory that robust T. rex fossils are female, gracile are male.  Hence they are convinced that Trix is female.  For convenience, I might refer to the fossil as "she" but I am aware that this theory is disputed.

On to the photos.  (Please note that these were taken indoors without flash - so rather more grainy than ideal at times.)











In terms of a museum display, the choice of pose is excellent.  It brings the head right down to viewing level - you (and any children!) are very close indeed to the skull.




Looking up the spine to the massive paired slabs of the ilium.




Back of skull and cervical vertebrae, left side.    In the background, the gift shop!
       

To be continued when flickr deigns to work properly .....         

[ceratopsian]

Trix's hind legs - femur, tibia and fibula - and rib cage from the rear. 


Looking upwards to "Trix"'s pelvis from below.  Note the massive bones of the ilium.  To each side, the femurs where they insert into the pelvis.


Detail of the pelvis: the paired ischia.  Beyond, the gastralia and ribs.


The pelvis, right side.  At the top, the ilium; to the left and pointing diagonally downwards to the rear, the ischium; partly visible at the bottom, the pubis and pubic boot.   Inserted into the pelvis, the femur.


The right femur, seen from below.  At the far left, running downwards, the pubis.


The right tibia and fibula, along with the top of the metatarsals.


Right foot, cast.  Both feet were missing from "Trix"; the feet on display are casts from "Sue", the Tyrannosaurus rex in the Field Museum, Chicago.


To be continued.....                                                                                                                                                                                                         

[ceratopsian]

Right gastralia:


Trix's shoulder girdle, seen from the front.  Note the furcula, or wishbone.  The arms (partly visible) are casts.


Left shoulder blade, or scapula.


Exhibition panel text and photo explaining the pathologies on the ribs (too high and awkward for me to photograph).



To be continued - mostly head shots left!

[JohannesB]

Thank you for the excellent photo's. I hope to see the skeleton when I am in the Netherlands in september or october. If it will be there, at least, and not still on tour..

[ceratopsian]

Thank you for the excellent photo's. I hope to see the skeleton when I am in the Netherlands in september or october. If it will be there, at least, and not still on tour..

@Failed archaeologist. According to the University of Glasgow's website, Glasgow is the final stop on the tour; Trix will already have visited "Salzburg, Austria; Barcelona, Spain; Paris, France; and Lisbon, Portugal".  She has been touring while a new museum building at Naturalis was being completed.  Perhaps if you contacted Naturalis, they would be able to tell you when they expect Trix to go back on display there.

[ceratopsian]

Another tranche of photos.....

Right side of skull, from the rear.


Left side of skull.  Note the large bite marks on the lower jaw, probably caused by an encounter with another Tyrannosaurus rex.  In the background, my long-suffering husband.



Close-up of the line of teeth marks, partly healed, on the left lower jaw.


Right side of skull.  Note the roughened area of bone with a small hole at the front - the result of an infection.  There are also supposed to be some unhealed deep scratches visible - but I wasn't sure I had correctly identified these.


Panel explaining the bone infection.


The area of infection on her upper jaw: close-up.


Panel explaining the significance of her brow ridges.






This one gives some idea of the open structure of the skull.


And a final goodbye to the skeleton


The supporting part of the exhibition could, we felt have been better.  There were some good, informative short videos and panels by the experts who had worked on the fossil - e.g. on the taphonomy, diet, ascertaining her age.  There were also some child-orientated interactive things, like "Can you dance like a dinosaur?" (highlighting the trace fossil interpreted fairly recently as a display "dancing" area).  But we felt more could have been included about tyrannosaurs in general. The question of feathered/not feathered was touched on briefly.  There was a slab with 167-million-year-old theropod footprints from the Isle of Skye - interesting, but impossible to photograph because of the reflections on the glass.  Here's the descriptive panel:



And related to the Isle of Skye exhibit:



The gift shop was large but nothing in the way of models.  It did, however, have a good coffee-table paperback about Trix, published in 2016 by Naturalis to accompany their acquisition of the fossil.  It's very informative (though not technical) and easy reading.


A final comment: Trix was found very close to the Duelling Dinosaurs fossil, on the same ranch in Montana.  Although the exhibition made no mention of the dispute, as far as I can work out Trix, like the Duelling Dinosaurs, is the subject of dispute as to who had the right to sell her - the owners of land rights, or the owners of mineral rights.

If you want to see full-size images, go to my flickr album here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/69501171@N03/albums/72157709439599777