Here’s an indication of how long this dinosaur quest has been going on: Five years ago, I visited the Yale Peabody Museum in Connecticut and saw their fantastic (but outdated) dinosaur displays firsthand. The Peabody is famous for housing some of the first dinosaur bones ever found (by paleontologist Othniel Marsh, who discovered and named the Stegosaurus as well as many of the most famous dinosaurs.)
In 2020 the museum began a huge renovation which included updating all the skeletons based on the latest science. The Peabody finally reopened in late 2024, and this is its beautiful “new” Stegosaurus which stands in a pose that appears much more lifelike. The tail is raised high instead of dragging, it has fewer plates on its back, and it now boasts the correct amount of spikes on its tail. (Four. The original display had eight.) If you want, you can compare this picture to the original version which is featured in of the earliest entries of this website! The renovators did a wonderful job with the restoration. I’m sure it was hard enough just keeping the bones from crumbling to dust, but to come away 4 years later with such an awesome and up-to-date display is really something special.
