Pardon our Progress

From T-rex to Quetz

A new exhibit is on display in the lobby of The Schiele! As visitors open the front doors, they will be greeted by a Quetzalcoatlus feeding its young. This display towers over the lobby with the Quetz adult standing 18 feet tall with 30-foot wingspan.

The Schiele’s iconic Tyrannosaurus rex was dismantled in June. After some restoration work, T-rex will return to the museum in a pose that better represents the latest science.

Why change the T-rex?

Once considered a dim-witted creature that lumbered along dragging its tail, the most recent science portrays T. rex as a dynamic member of a prehistoric ecosystem. It has been likened to a gigantic bird, tending its young and possibly covered with feathers for at least a portion of its life.

The Schiele’s T. rex will be back on exhibit as part of a new dinosaur experience that will open in 2025.

Removing the skull of T.rex
Quetzbuild1

Quetzalcoatlus Facts:

  • Quetzalcoatlus lived in Western North America in the Late Cretaceous period, 72 – 66 million years ago.
  • The first Quetzalcoatlus fossils were discovered in the Maastrichtian Javelina Formation at Big Bend National Park of Texas in 1971.
  • Named after the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, this prehistoric reptile is believed to be the largest of all pterosaurs. Adults were as tall as giraffes! 

The Schiele is building a prehistoric legacy…one brick at a time. Experience the ROAR-volution!