More specifically I was at Burgers' Zoo in Arnhem (the Netherlands), and the 'dig site' was one of many great touches in the 'Burgers' Desert' indoor 'ecodisplay', sitting alongside living dinosaurs like the North American road runner (which apprently no one can walk past without saying "Meep meep!"). Of course, I couldn't help but wonder which T. rex specimen this skull is a cast or replica of. For my money it's the specimen formerly displayed in the Natural History Museum in London, which Darren Naish wrote about some time back. Actually, the half-mandible from that mount is on display again now in the dinosaur gallery, while the half-cranium is on temporary display in the Age of the Dinosaur exhibition.
In any case, I wasn't expecting to run into a Tyrannosaurus skull in the middle of a zoo, but then it is the amazing Burgers'. Do let me know of your thoughts!
Looks like the AMNH skull to me.
ReplyDelete@Andy I thought it could be AMNH 5027 at first, but on second thoughts...
ReplyDeleteOf course it's occurred to me that the cranium of the NHM mount (and other elements) may have been based on AMNH 5027. I have no idea how complete the original material was...ahem.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andy. That skull is a dead ringer for the one on BOTH Tyrrell T-Rex mounts, and they got their cast from the AMNH.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, Burgers' Zoo looks like an amazing place. I am jelly.
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