Scotty, the world’s largest T. rex, was discovered in Saskatchewan 35 years ago today. Robert Gebhardt, a high school principal from Eastend, joined paleontologists from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) on a prospecting expedition along the Frenchman River Valley on Aug. 16,1991. The group was exploring the exposed bedrock to learn how fossils are found and identified in the field. That same day, Gebhardt discovered the base of a tooth and a piece of a vertebra from the tail. “After further investigation, it was determined that the bones belonged to a T. rex,” Brie Hnetka, executive director of the RSM said. In June of 1994, paleontologists began the process of excavating the skeleton, which was 65 per cent complete, and the long process of getting an exact copy of Scotty’s skeleton on display at the RSM. “It actually took almost 20 years to get Scotty out of the ground. It was mostly all by hand. They had to use, actually, sometimes horses to drag some of the huge bones and fossils out of the ground,” Hnetka explained. “So that took about 10 years, and then it was another 10 years, back in the lab to take all the sand and rock off of the fossils, and then we were able to do a cast of the bones.” In 2011, a cast of Scotty was finished, with a replica going on display at the T. rex Discovery Centre in Eastend in 2013. A cast of Scotty was unveiled at the RSM in 2019. “You wouldn’t be able to use the real fossils. They would be way too heavy,” Hnetka explained. “One femur bone would be 800 pounds. So, most of skeletons that you see up in museums are casts, but we do have some of the bones, like real fossils on display at the museum in Regina and the T. Rex Discovery Centre as well. A series of old newspaper clippings can be found on RSM’s website detailing the discovery, with news reported as far as Japan. A draft paper published in the Anatomical Record on March 21, 2019, confirmed that Gebhardt’s discovery was the largest T. rex, as it was “estimated to have weighed 8,870 kg, ‘a body mass exceeding all other known T. rex specimens and representatives of all other gigantic terrestrial theropods.’” Sue, who previously held the title of world’s largest t. Rex, is in the field museum in Chicago. She was discovered in South Dakota in 1990 and is one of the best preserved T. rex fossils at 90 per cent complete. She was named after the person who discovered her, Sue Hendrickson. The name Scotty came from those who were toasting to the discovery. “They were toasting with scotch, and so then they decided to name the fossil Scotty,” Hnetka said. Although named Scotty, researchers say they don’t know for sure whether the dinosaur is a male or female. “I do find it interesting that we think maybe that she could be a female, so I find that pretty exciting,” Hnetka said, noting that it’s also interesting to see what sort of damage the dinosaur experienced in its lifetime. “A lot of fossils are found this way with damage, so damage in their skull, like a hole, and often dinosaurs are found that way, and it’s interesting that you can see kind of the fights they might have been in over time and how things would have healed or not healed.” Hnetka said scientists often come to the museum to learn more about Scotty’s skeleton and bones, a reminder that research continues long after the bones are found. “They’re utilizing some of the information that they’re able to gain from Scotty, and then from new discoveries from around the world,” she said. “I think a lot has come out since the last 35 years for sure and we’re just always able to learn more.” An unearthing party will be held for Scotty at the T. rex Discovery Centre in Eastend, Sask. on Sunday, with themed activities and treats. Gebhardt, the man who made the discovery, will also be in attendance to take questions. While the party will be taking place in Eastend, Hnetka said people are welcome to come to the RSM to see Scotty and all of the other dinosaur skeletons on display. “It’s really cool to have Scotty here. It is one of the most complete skeletons, which is pretty cool and Saskatchewan’s an amazing place for paleontology,” she said. “We have fossils that are before the extinction event, and then we have fossils that are after the extinction event, so we have that full fossil record, which is fairly unique in Saskatchewan.” For those heading out to Eastend, Hnetka said the drive is absolutely worth it. “There is so much to see there and you can really learn about the discovery of Scotty there, that’s what the museum’s all about. It really goes into the details about how they were able to find Scotty and all about him,” she said.
