World's Largest Dinosaur

The "World's Largest Dinosaur" is the name of a roadside tourist attraction in the form of a model Tyrannosaurus rex located in the Town of Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. The World's Largest Dinosaur is one of several dinosaur-related attractions in the Town of Drumheller and the surrounding areas, which includes Dinosaur Provincial Park.

This article is about the tourist attraction. For the large prehistoric animals, see dinosaur size.

World's Largest Dinosaur
World's Largest Dinosaur in 2012
51.467246°N 112.708805°W / 51.467246; -112.708805
Location60 1 Avenue, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada
Materialfiberglass and steel
Length46 metres (151 ft)
Height26.3 metres (86 ft)
Weight66,000 kilograms (146,000 lb)
Dedicated dateOctober 13, 2001
Websiteworldslargestdinosaur.com

Background

The model Tyrannosaurus was constructed of fiberglass and steel, with a height of 26.3 metres (86 ft) and a length of 46 metres (151 ft),[1] considerably larger than the largest known specimens of the actual dinosaur, known as Sue which reached up to 12.8 m (42 ft) in length,[2] and up to 4 m (13 ft) tall at the hips.[3]

The Tyrannosaurus Rex is one of several dinosaur-related attractions in the town of Drumheller, which is located in the Badlands of east-central Alberta along the Red Deer River, located 135 kilometres (84 mi) northeast of Calgary. Drumheller is home to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology which holds over 160,000 cataloged fossils and displays a collection of approximately 800 fossils as exhibits. The Town of Drumheller has a number of pieces of public art in the form of dinosaur models that are placed throughout the community.[4]

History

The World's Largest Dinosaur took approximately three years to complete, which including a design stage, groundbreaking on October 2, 1999, and a grand opening on October 13, 2001.[5] The dinosaur was built during the term of former Drumheller Mayor Phil Bryant. Each month 15 percent of the revenue generated by visitors to the World's Largest Dinosaur and the attached gift shop is directed to the World's Largest Dinosaur Legacy Fund, which reinvests funds into community economic development initiatives.[5] The sculpture weights 145,000 lb (66,000 kg), 65,000 lb (29,000 kg) of which is steel. Visitors climb 106 stairs from the gift shop to the viewing area in the dinosaur's mouth, which is approximately 60 sq ft (5.6 m2) and can hold between 8 and 12 people at a time.[6]

On August 27, 2018, the World's Largest Dinosaur welcomed its two-millionth visitor 18 years after the structure was opened in 2000.[7] In 2020 the World's Largest Dinosaur underwent a CA$300,000 restoration which was partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Canadian Experiences Fund. The restoration will include a new coat of paint on the dinosaur.[6]

  • Drumheller T-Rex
    Drumheller T-Rex
  • View from the mouth across Drumheller
    View from the mouth across Drumheller

See also

References
  1. Travel Alberta (2007). "Unusual Attractions in Alberta". Archived from the original on November 16, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  2. Brochu, C. R. (2003). "Osteology of Tyrannosaurus rex: insights from a nearly complete skeleton and high-resolution computed tomographic analysis of the skull". Memoirs of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Vol. 7. pp. 1–138.
  3. "Sue's vital statistics". Sue at the Field Museum. Field Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on March 17, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  4. Big Things (August 2004). "Big things in Alberta". Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  5. "Welcome to the World's Largest Dinosaur". World's Largest Dinosaur. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  6. Fleming, Kevin (June 3, 2020). "Drumheller's 'World's Largest Dinosaur' getting a face lift". CTV News. Calgary. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  7. "Drumheller 'World's Largest Dinosaur' structure marks two million visitors". Calgary Herald. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
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