Lemonly Who is SUE? A Timeline of the World’s Largest T-Rex Fossil

Infographic

South Dakota's got four famous faces carved into a mountain — and a fifth one buried in the dirt. Our Slice interns set out to give SUE the Tyrannosaurus rex its due, digging into the incredible true story of the largest, most complete T-rex fossil ever unearthed, right here in the Mount Rushmore State.

The infographic traces SUE's whole saga, from their prehistoric life 67 million years ago to their 1990 discovery near Faith, SD, through a genuinely wild custody battle involving the FBI, a court ruling, and an $8.36 million auction, all the way to their permanent home at Chicago's Field Museum. Along the way, it unpacks the science of SUE's bones (28 years old, over 9 tons, arthritis and all) and the sheer scale of getting a T-rex exhibit-ready.

A story this old called for an earthy touch: brushy textures, leaf and fossil patterns, and a palette of natural reds, greens, teals, and tans that feels more excavation site than encyclopedia entry. It's proof that a thoughtful design touch can make 67 million years of history feel fresh.

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Who is SUE?

From ground to gallery: Digging up the history of the world’s largest T-rex fossil

The largest, most complete and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever discovered was found in South Dakota. Their name is SUE, and they’re the lesser-known fifth figure found in the rock of the Mount Rushmore State. Great faces, great fossils!

America’s next top fossil

SUE lived for 28 years — pretty old for a T. rex!

Their bones show signs of age and injuries from their lifetime.

Arthritis
Bone infection
Fractures

SUE is nicknamed after the fossil hunter who first discovered them, but we don’t actually know SUE’s sex.

SUE was a formidable creature in life and death

SUE weighed over 9 tons. That’s 50% heavier than an African elephant!
Standing 13 feet tall and over 40 feet long, SUE dwarfed the smaller dinos they hunted.

They’ll go down in history

Ancient origins

67 million years ago: SUE lived in what is now northwestern South Dakota, but the landscape looked much different.
65 million years ago: Dinosaurs become extinct
200,000 years ago: Our human species emerges
11,500 years ago: Earth’s most recent ice age

Discovery

August 12, 1990: SUE’s fossilized skeleton is discovered on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation near Faith, SD, by Sue Hendrickson from the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research (BHI). It takes six paleontologists 17 days to excavate SUE from the surrounding rock. Ya dig?

Custody battle

1992 was a big year for SUE:
- May 14, 1992:
  - More than 30 FBI agents and South Dakota National Guard members seize SUE from BHI, inciting a months-long legal battle over who owned the fossil.
  - The U.S. government said BHI had wrongfully taken SUE from public lands, since the fossil was buried on tribal property.
  - SUE was taken to the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T) for storage.
- May 22, 1992: BHI brings legal action against the government. You take their dino, you get served.
- May 27, 1992: BHI files an injunction to return SUE from storage, which they said would deteriorate the fossil.
- July 13, 1992: The court rules SDSM&T will continue to store SUE while the fossil’s ownership is decided.
December 15, 1993: Judge rules SUE belongs to ranch owner Maurice Williams, since the fossil was found on his land.
October 4, 1997: Williams sells SUE at auction to Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History for $8.36 million, the most ever paid for a fossil.

Exhibition

May 17, 2000: The Field Museum opens its SUE exhibit. More than 21 million people have visited the fossil since then.
- 12 technicians worked for 30,000 hours to prepare SUE for exhibition. That’s the same as one person working full-time for 12 years.
September 21, 2013: A replica of SUE’s skeleton returns to South Dakota on display at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls.
January 16, 2014: Dinosaur 13, a documentary about SUE’s discovery and battle for their ownership, premieres at Sundance Film Festival. It’s now on Netflix!

SUE has been studied and fought over by many since their discovery.

SUE has helped us learn more about the T. rex and South Dakota in the dinosaur age.

Dig up more for yourself!

Created by Lemonly

Sources:

Behind the scenes with our Slice interns

This infographic was created by our terrific trio of 2017 Slice interns. Here's a look at the process that went into making it:

Brainstorming: What ought people know that they don't, and how can we help them learn it through visuals?
Presentation: Show the other Lemonheads our ideas and get their feedback. The team's vote helps us make our topic decision — SUE wins!
Timeline: Allison (project management intern) maps out how long things should take, when we need feedback, and when drafts and revisions are due.
Research: Learn as much as we can about SUE. Dig through the information to decide what's most interesting and valuable for our audience. Determine the focus of our infographic.
Copywriting: Nick (content intern) gets to writing, distilling our research into concise, informative copy that will translate well to design. A rule of thumb: No matter the specificity of the topic, you'll never not have enough info to work from.
Wireframe & moodboard: Carly (design intern) creates the blueprints for how our infographic will look — both the layout (wireframe) and visual direction (moodboard). The wireframe is a grayscale layout of the format, copy, and high-level design elements. The moodboard shows the color palette, fonts, and illustration style that will be used in the design. Together, these two pieces describe the feel and flow of the infographic.
Design: Now come the colors and illustrations! We move through a few drafts of the final infographic with everything in place. Oohs and ahhs all around.

Moodboard showing design inspiration and style references for the SUE infographic — Here's a look at the moodboard for this infographic about SUE the T-rex, showing the lush, painterly illustration style alongside the typography and color palette.

What's your biggest takeaway from working on your first infographic?

Nick Lorang, Content Intern

"It might take longer to write fewer words, but tightening copy is where the information really gets to shine. Assembling a barrage of facts isn't the same as telling a clear, concise story."

Carly Ribstein, Design Intern

"Lemonly's design process is bulletproof. Each phase has a purpose and ultimately leads to a strong end product. It was so helpful to have each designer's input every step of the way."

Allison Chamberlain, 2017 Project Management Intern

Allison Chamberlain, Project Management Intern

"Having a clear vision and plan from the beginning really helped us develop this infographic and hold ourselves accountable for meeting deadlines from start to finish."