Double dinosaurs: T-Rex Barbara joins Peter at Auckland Museum

She’s ancient and a bag of bones, but Barbara, the latest exhibit at Tamaki Paenga Hira/Auckland Museum, is destined to be a major attraction.

In a world-first, the museum will be displaying both an adult male and a female Tyrannosaurus rex side-by-side as Barbara takes her position with Peter in the South Atrium. This is the first time she will be on display to the public.

Auckland Museum staff watch as Barbara is reassembled. Photo / Dean Purcell

“This is an incredible coup for Auckland Museum and all New Zealanders, to have a unique opportunity to see a male and female T. rex in the same space, at the same time,” said Dr David Gaimster, chief executive at Auckland Museum. “This dramatic display will be the envy of every museum around the world.”

At nearly 12 metres long and 3.4m tall with huge teeth, Barbara was, obviously, a ferocious beast back in the Cretaceous era and, just as Peter’s crushed and tooth-scarred leg tells a story, so do Barbara’s fossilised bones.

This is the first time anywhere in the world that two adult male and female T. rex skeletons have been seen together. Photo / Dean Purcell

Barbara shows signs of a major foot injury, with evidence of healing on her metatarsal bone which indicates she was limited in her movement and was unlikely to have been able to chase down her prey. Healing on the bone also suggests she lived a long time after the injury and survived by scavenging for food, or may even have shared a meal with other T. rexes in her troupe around what is now Hell Creek in Montana, USA, where Barbara was discovered.

She was also pregnant or carrying young at the time of her death, and is one of only three pregnant T. rexes to have been discovered so far.

Barbara is nearly 12 metres long and 3.4 metres tall. Photo / Supplied

Her remains are remarkably preserved, with a significant number of bones - including the head and jaws - in pristine condition. Barbara is the eighth-most-complete fossilised tyrannosaur to have been recovered.

“This is a unique and exciting offering, making Auckland Museum a must-visit destination this summer,” Dr David Gaimster said. “We are proud to bring compelling cultural experiences and learning opportunities to Aucklanders. Starting with the T. rex Barbara and Peter from the Cretaceous era through to the Secrets of Stonehenge, which explores the European neolithic and early metal ages, we will span a vast expanse of time, natural history and culture.”

Back together again after sixty six million years, the T. rex duo of Barbara and Peter are on display from December 2, free with museum entry.

See more at www.aucklandmuseum.com.