T. Rex Makeover

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, PA has one of the oldest, largest and most impressive dinosaur collections anywhere on earth. And with the recent renovation of the exhibit, it is also one of the most informative. The dinosaur exhibit was featured in a 1980's episode of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and dinosaurs have been one of those rare childhood fascinations that I never really outgrew.



I visited the museum a year ago, and the improvements so far were really remarkable. However, the T-rex exhibit was still under wraps and didn't open until this year. But my first impression when I walked into the room was "I thought it was bigger. Aren't there bigger T-rex's somewhere?" It took me a few mintutes before I realized what had happened. Historically, representations and bone-mountings of the Tyrannosaurus Rex had him (or her, since apparently males and females look almost identical) posed in a more or less kangaroo-like posture, supported on two legs and a tail (come to think of it, Godzilla stands pretty much like this). The effect is stunning - the majestic hugely tall stance can take your breath away. However, modern experts have realized that this stance is highly unlikely (it was impractical, slow and would probably cause him to dislocate his joints), and the new reconstruction of T-Rex has a body that is basically horizontal, with the tai stretched behind him for balance.



While the innitial "wow" of seeing the skeleton of T-rex in the room was a bit less than I had expected, and his size seemed less impressive, the more subtle and later-coming impact is even more remarkable. Dinosaurs always seemed quite amazing and incredible - but just that, something too unreal to really bring into my imagination as a living, breathing and powerful creature. My feeling, seeing him poised horizontally, was that he was indeed powerful - fast and agile as well. In fact, imagining him now in this corrected posture, he seems as plausible and full of ass-kicking potential as a giant reptillian Jet Li. There is also a really amazing computer animation model of the dinosaur, showing him walking on a treadmill at variable speeds. It's one of those cases where plausibility, rather than bursting the bubble of a superior fantasy, actually facilitates even greater respect and admiration.