South Dakota T. rex draws media attention

He's 'Stan' on 'Nightline,' but not at Google

By Bill Harlan, Journal staff | Friday, November 16, 2007

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The Tyrannosaurus rex on the lawn at Google's world headquarters in California is not the South Dakota-hatched T. rex nicknamed "Stan," but that was "Stan" on ABC's "Nightline" on Tuesday.

First, the Google rex.

"We're writing letters to the Atlantic Monthly and Google," Marion Zenker of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research in Hill City said. "That's definitely not 'Stan.'"

An article in the December issue of the Atlantic magazine titled "Google's Tar Pit" includes a photo of a T. rex skeleton replica. The story is not about dinosaurs. Rather, it's about Google's exposure to antitrust investigations.

Writer Joshua Green begins with a description of "the imposing visage of 'Stan,'" which he describes as "the largest Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever discovered."

Green writes, "Like its corporate mascot, the search-engine giant has established itself at the top of the food chain ..."

But Google's ferocious mascot is likely a replica of another specimen, unearthed by the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Mont., Zenker said. (Google had contacted the Black Hills Institute about buying a replica of "Stan" but balked at the price.)

The real "Stan," which the Black Hills Institute recovered from a Harding County ranch north of Buffalo in 1992, is on display at the institute's small museum in Hill City.

Zenker also pointed out that "Stan" is not the largest T. rex skeleton ever found. That honor goes to the T. rex named "Sue," discovered by the Black Hills Institute in 1990. "Sue" was the object of a long, controversial and splashy custody battle that the institute eventually lost. "Sue" now is at the Field Museum in Chicago.

The fossil misidentification seems like a small thing -- "Stan," "Sue" and their fellow tyrannosaurs having gone extinct 65 million years ago -- but "Stan" is a copyrighted name, Zenker said.

Google and the Atlantic Monthly had not responded to e-mails from the Rapid City Journal by news deadline.

"Sue," the real "Stan" and the Black Hills Institute did get national exposure this week in an ABC "Nightline" story that aired Tuesday night.

The story focused on a new T. rex specimen the institute is preparing for the Houston Museum of Natural Science. "Wyrex" is named for the Wyrick ranch near Baker, Mont.

Rancher Don Wyrick was able to pay off his ranch with the fee the institute paid to him for "Wyrex," ABC reported.

The Black Hills Institute is a for-profit fossil company that sells original specimens and replicas worldwide. (A full-size T. rex replica can cost $100,000.) Some academic paleontologists object to commercializing the field. Institute president Pete Larson told "Nightline" that his company can work faster and remove fossils quicker, without sacrificing science.

Zenker said the fossil business is flourishing. In fact, the Houston museum also purchased a triceratops skeleton recovered from a ranch west of Lusk, Wyo. It's a "magnificent specimen," Zenker said. It even has preserved skin.

For more on a T. rex dig

To learn more about the excavation of the Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed "Wyrex," go to www.unearthingtrex.com

The T. rex nicknamed "Stan" is at the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, at 117 Main St. in Hill City. Museum hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 10 through 17. Kids younger than 10 are admitted free.

Contact Bill Harlan at 394-8424 or bill.harlan@rapidcityjournal.com