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II. Preparation
A Jaw-dropping
Sight
Before work could begin on Tyrannosaurus rex, the skull had
to be removed from its exhibit in Dinosaur Hall. On June 16, 2003,
Scientific Preparator Norm Wuerthele and staff members from the
museum's Exhibits Department began the delicate process of moving
the skull to its temporary home in PaleoLab. First, they removed
the lower jaws from their iron framework.
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removing skull from stand
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Next,
the upper portion of the skull had to be unscrewed from the
threaded pipe that supported it. To accomplish this task, CMNH
staff held the heavy skull and slowly circled the exhibit platform.
In this way, they were able to remove the skull in the same
way that you might twist the cap off a bottle. |
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The
skull was then carefully placed on a cart and wheeled into
PaleoLab, the museum’s fossil preparation laboratory. |
moving skull into lab |
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on table in lab
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Heads
Up
Once inside PaleoLab, the skull was placed upside down on a
padded, circular table. This table, built specifically to handle
a T. rex skull, is four feet in circumference with a
capacity of 4,000 pounds. It rotates 360 degrees and has a hydraulic
system that allows it be raised and lowered 12 inches. For additional
support, preparators placed sandbags underneath
parts of the skull. These sandbags conform to the shape of the
skull and help reduce stress on the fossilized material. |
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Preparator Yvonne Wilson (left) will help remove the original
bones from the plaster. Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology Christopher
Beard (middle) will oversee the work being done on the T.
rex skull. When the original skull material has been removed
and cleaned, scientists will begin to study the bones and teeth.
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Wilson,
Beard, Sues |
Next
page: Dismantling the Skull |
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