Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum adds massive 2,000 lb T. Rex skull to dinosaur exhibit

CANYON, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — The Tyrannosaurus Rex, aka the T. Rex, is arguably the most famous and recognizable of all the dinosaurs, and the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum just got a new T. Rex skull that dates back to around 66 million years ago.

For Seth and Michah Hanbury, the world of dinosaurs has always been fascinating.

“I’ve liked dinosaurs since I was a kid,” said Seth Hanbury, an exhibit specialist at PPHM. “Going to get to pick it up was and getting to see the fossils at the tribal paleontology there. and it was really cool.”

His brother Micah echoed the sentiment of the uniqueness of the new exhibit at PPHM.

“Having a T. Rex skull is very cool. every kid knows the Tyrannosaurus Rex,” said Micah, who also serves as an exhibit specialist at PPHM.

The Hanbury brothers transported the 2,000-pound skull from the Rocky Mountain Resource Center in Woodland Park, Colo. earlier this year.

“You could imagine this animal is probably 35 feet long. The condition of the skull is really the biggest thing on this. It’s the most complete skull ever found,” Seth explained.

Museum leaders tell us the skull is an extremely rare type, and it took about a year to acquire it.

“It’s one of only 15 like it in the world,” said Andrew Hall, Director of PPHM. “Maybe in the best condition a Tyrannosaurus skull that is in existence right now.”

The skull is massive. Hanbury told MyHighPlains.com that it’s about four feet tall and four feet wide, it has a mouth full of banana-sized bone-crushing teeth, and the T. Rex it belonged to is estimated to weigh around eight or nine tons.

With something so big, you can bet it was in interesting drive to get it here.

“We’ve driven in the snow lots of times, but never with a Tyrannosaurus skull in the back,” Micah said.

“We drove in a rainstorm, and then the next morning, it snowed five inches, just while we were in the building, picking up the skull itself. At one point we got, we got stuck in the snow, and it was like, yeah, this is we got to get out of here, you know? but it was, it was a fun trip,” Seth recalled.

All of it to get area folks closer to one of the most well-known creatures to ever roam planet Earth.

“To really have something that we felt would be a prized possession of this museum, so that the people in this region are able to access it and engage with it. To go come into the collection and continue to speak to the community about the incredible history of this region and globally, especially when it comes to paleontology,” said Hall.

The T. Rex exhibit is on permanent display at PPHM .

For the latest Amarillo news and regional updates, check with MyHighPlains.com and tune in to KAMR Local 4 News at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. and Fox 14 News at 9:00 p.m. CST.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KAMR - MyHighPlains.com.