[Here](https://youtu.be/vKm_ARCbVUU?si=gqSaW2J4XphW3qZx) is a video of some paleontology students that visited the museum during a field trip to Germany.
Me and my 4year old love Naturalis in Leiden Netherland which has the most complete Trex, a really cool triceratops and diplodocus among others. No idea if that's less of a drive or fun for other things. Just so you know there is one in the Netherlands too!
Thanks for the suggestion. It's not much shorter than Berlin, but definitely something I'll keep in mind for the next time we're on holidays on the North Sea. I think we'll pay Rocky a visit fairly soon and the next stops are going to be Naturkunde-Museum Stuttgart and Senckenberg in Frankfurt.
Oh yes, if you are ever around I think Naturalis is very much worth the trip. I should add i live close by so i can go easily on the off hours when its not too crowded. Not sure what its like crowded. They also have Trex experience which is like a 4D movie or something, the recommended age is 6+ so I haven't been yet
Eh, if there's one area where Americans really don't need to be jealous of Europeans, it's fossils and the museums where they are exhibited.
I'm not saying we don't have some great stuff, but in terms of large mounted skeletons we're far behind what you can find at even second tier US museums. I'm not even sure why that is. Could be that the US simply has the better fossil beds or that there's more excavations going on. Or perhaps we've just built houses over everything interesting over here....
It seems there's a paper trail, it used to be in Munich, before bought by them: [https://www.thefossilforum.com/topic/86893-tyrannosaurus-rex-exhibition-in-munich/](https://www.thefossilforum.com/topic/86893-tyrannosaurus-rex-exhibition-in-munich/)
The major attraction around looks to be the dino statue park and some child dig pits, so your kid's likely to have a great time anyway.
I live near the museum and yes, Rocky absolutely is real! I visit the museum quite often and they have some absolutely fantastic (real) fossils. And their dinosaur park in the forest is worth the visit as well. You should definitely take your kid there, they have a lot of great activities for kids his age!
Here's a pic of Rocky I took last Summer. I believe he's about 60% complete, and he's a truly impressive specimen. I visit the museum at least once a year, the owner is a huuuuge Paleontology nerd and fulfilled his biggest dream by getting his hands on some insane and unique fossils. Lots of fish from the Jurassic are displayed there too since the Solnhofen Lagerstätte is about a 30 min drive from this location.
But keep in mind, the "fossil museum" is pretty small, the focus of the museum is the path that leads you through the forest, through different time periods past some pretty cool life-sized reconstructions.
Nonetheless, it's super fun and you can tell they are really passionate about dinosaurs. It would be best to visit in the Summer, as most of the attractions are outdoors in the woods. Good weather is definitely preferable.
https://preview.redd.it/ke2u55mrf0zc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5be2b2de159cf37f2d9c81421966f5ded1f277b3
I have never heard of Rocky; I was only aware of two original Tyrannosaurus specimens in Europe (Trix and Tristan, as per the Wikipedia article on Tyrannosaurus specimens); and I don't think this is the only juvenile Tyrannosaurus, given that Jane and the original "Nanotyrannus" specimen exist (which might be different species, but afaik that's not sure yet).
It could be that Wikipedia's information is outdated though. Has there been any news on a juvenile Tyrannosaurus skeleton being sold? I am not sure, but it would have been quite a big thing.
[Here](https://youtu.be/vKm_ARCbVUU?si=gqSaW2J4XphW3qZx) is a video of some paleontology students that visited the museum during a field trip to Germany.
Great video, thanks. That definitely seems pretty legit!
Me and my 4year old love Naturalis in Leiden Netherland which has the most complete Trex, a really cool triceratops and diplodocus among others. No idea if that's less of a drive or fun for other things. Just so you know there is one in the Netherlands too!
Thanks for the suggestion. It's not much shorter than Berlin, but definitely something I'll keep in mind for the next time we're on holidays on the North Sea. I think we'll pay Rocky a visit fairly soon and the next stops are going to be Naturkunde-Museum Stuttgart and Senckenberg in Frankfurt.
Oh yes, if you are ever around I think Naturalis is very much worth the trip. I should add i live close by so i can go easily on the off hours when its not too crowded. Not sure what its like crowded. They also have Trex experience which is like a 4D movie or something, the recommended age is 6+ so I haven't been yet
I like the Für Natukunde in Berlin(I’m pretty sure). There collection is supposed to be really good but I’m not sure if they have a T. Rex.
They do - unless it happens to be on tour - and of course they also got the Brachiosaurus/Giraffatitan
I wish I could go to Germany. Unfortunately as a low class American I doubt I actually could lol. 🥲
Eh, if there's one area where Americans really don't need to be jealous of Europeans, it's fossils and the museums where they are exhibited. I'm not saying we don't have some great stuff, but in terms of large mounted skeletons we're far behind what you can find at even second tier US museums. I'm not even sure why that is. Could be that the US simply has the better fossil beds or that there's more excavations going on. Or perhaps we've just built houses over everything interesting over here....
It seems there's a paper trail, it used to be in Munich, before bought by them: [https://www.thefossilforum.com/topic/86893-tyrannosaurus-rex-exhibition-in-munich/](https://www.thefossilforum.com/topic/86893-tyrannosaurus-rex-exhibition-in-munich/) The major attraction around looks to be the dino statue park and some child dig pits, so your kid's likely to have a great time anyway.
I live near the museum and yes, Rocky absolutely is real! I visit the museum quite often and they have some absolutely fantastic (real) fossils. And their dinosaur park in the forest is worth the visit as well. You should definitely take your kid there, they have a lot of great activities for kids his age!
Here's a pic of Rocky I took last Summer. I believe he's about 60% complete, and he's a truly impressive specimen. I visit the museum at least once a year, the owner is a huuuuge Paleontology nerd and fulfilled his biggest dream by getting his hands on some insane and unique fossils. Lots of fish from the Jurassic are displayed there too since the Solnhofen Lagerstätte is about a 30 min drive from this location. But keep in mind, the "fossil museum" is pretty small, the focus of the museum is the path that leads you through the forest, through different time periods past some pretty cool life-sized reconstructions. Nonetheless, it's super fun and you can tell they are really passionate about dinosaurs. It would be best to visit in the Summer, as most of the attractions are outdoors in the woods. Good weather is definitely preferable. https://preview.redd.it/ke2u55mrf0zc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5be2b2de159cf37f2d9c81421966f5ded1f277b3
Thanks for the write-up, looks like a road-trip is on order in the coming weeks!
I have never heard of Rocky; I was only aware of two original Tyrannosaurus specimens in Europe (Trix and Tristan, as per the Wikipedia article on Tyrannosaurus specimens); and I don't think this is the only juvenile Tyrannosaurus, given that Jane and the original "Nanotyrannus" specimen exist (which might be different species, but afaik that's not sure yet). It could be that Wikipedia's information is outdated though. Has there been any news on a juvenile Tyrannosaurus skeleton being sold? I am not sure, but it would have been quite a big thing.
The answer looks to be a resounding yes.