DOWNTOWN — Sue the T. rex will no longer greet Field Museum visitors in the entrance hall — but the beloved dinosaur will get her own room.
Sue will be removed from her current spot in February and make her debut in her own gallery in spring 2019, according to the Field Museum. A cast of a titanosaur — a dinosaur with a long neck and tail — will take over the spot where Sue once stood in the museum's Stanley Field Hall.
"For years now, I've been pitching this to the museum," Sue wrote on Twitter, where the sassy dinosaur is followed by more than 28,000 people. "A room with a better defensible position against velociraptor attacks and reduced exposure to possible meteorite collisions. Finally, the mammals in charge have come to their senses."
Sue's new room in the Evolving Planet exhibition will feature fossils that were found alongside the T. rex, giving visitors a glimpse into the world where Sue roamed. The move will also place Sue closer to other dinosaurs, including the Stegosaurus and Apatosaurus, according to the Field Museum.
Sue will get a makeover herself as part of the changes: It turns out the T. rex was heftier than most imagine, but her exhibit has been missing the gastralia bones that would show Sue's "bulging belly," according to the Field.
The museum now understands better how Sue's gastralia — which resemble "an additional set of ribs stretched about T. rex's belly" — worked and where they appeared in her body, so the bones will be added to her exhibit, according to the Field.
And Sue's pose will be updated so she's "walking rather than skulking," according to the Field. Sue's arms will be adjusted and her wishbone will be moved.
Sue's replacement in the Stanley Field Hall, the titanosaur cast, is expected to be revealed toward the end of spring 2018. Visitors will be able to watch as Sue is removed and the titanosaur is installed.
The titanosaur cast is tall enough that its head will reach the museum's second-floor balcony. It's about "25 Danny DeVitos" in length (or 122 feet snout to tail), according to the museum, and probably weighed 70 tons.
Visitors will be able to walk under the massive titanosaur cast, touch it and take photos with it from the museum balcony. Some of the titanosaur's bones — like an 8-foot-long thighbone — will also be on display.
Sue, the largest and most complete T. rex found, has been in the entrance hall since 2000. Before then, other dinosaurs filled the space.
There will be a send-off party for Sue before her temporary hiatus, according to the Field, but details for the event haven't been revealed yet.
Sue appeared to take the news in stride on Wednesday, though not all of her fans were excited:
Remember that party at the end of "Caddyshack?" https://t.co/qbTwc6OsAF
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
A- It's "SUE," pronounced as if you're pursued by a 42 foot long murderbird.
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
B- I GET A SPECIAL THRONE ROOM https://t.co/t1CQMXMf2M
Look, it's all fun and games until someone gets bit on the cloaca pic.twitter.com/ura69wgqwI
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
No. But I will have a butler and a boat that allows me to fight supercrime. https://t.co/dLqbwM5c5j
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
S W O L E https://t.co/AvyH7mjZci
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
Of course, why do you think we're doing this?
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
(My attorney aggressively whispers in my ear)
Folks, it's appears that I may have misled you https://t.co/Q8XKkIvWRK
Y'all are missing the best part of @FieldMuseum's press release.
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
The first we've used this account for anything remotely official. pic.twitter.com/zznvbIM8CT
Science is constantly moving forward, yo. https://t.co/cBjicsgiXj
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
True Story: the last time Sue Hendrickson visited, she said she wished I was in a smaller room so you can get a sense of scale. https://t.co/YHoJDWuvZV
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
Oh, I've noticed. https://t.co/6U25kC3V2c
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
I have severe abandonment issues...so @SUEtheTrex going away for a little bit will sting...but...y'know...SCIENCE!
— Rob Welcher (@robwelcher) August 30, 2017
"Excuse me, are you on the list?"
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
Guy in Toronto Raptors jersey: "Uh y-"
"Trust me, you aren't on the list." https://t.co/SG9i78K30H
You mean the part where I get a private suite, my gastralia back, and added velociraptor defenses?
— Private Suite Haver (@SUEtheTrex) August 30, 2017
Let the new guy/girl do the work... https://t.co/z1kfBWw81E
