Campus & Community

How to take down a brontosaurus

After a “heads off” ceremony in December, a team from Research Casting International is taking the rest of the Peabody’s iconic Brontosaurus down as well.

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  • Brontosaurus skeleton surrounded by scaffolding
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  • Workers disassemble the skeleton
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  • Workers disassemble the skeleton
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  • Workers disassemble the skeleton
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  • A worker glues a protective foam brick during packing
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  • A worker inspects plaster joint work in the Bronto's leg
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  • A worker takes a saw to the bronto's plaster casting
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  • A packing tag that reads: Specimin Brontosaurus excelsus - YMP 1980, Bone - Caudul 16
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  • Workers inspect the skeleton on a scissor lift
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  • The skeleton with scaffolding
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How do you take down a 65-foot-long Brontosaurus? If you’re the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, you bring in the experts.

As part of the Peabody’s upcoming major renovations, the museum’s iconic dinosaur skeletons are being packed up and shipped to Canada by Research Casting International (RCI), an Ontario-based company that specializes in preparing and preserving fossil mounts. Once the nine dinosaurs are safely north of the border, they’ll be cleaned, mended, and remounted in more scientifically accurate poses. 

In December, the Brontosaurus had its head removed in a ceremonial “heads off” farewell to the Peabody’s Great Hall exhibit. Last week, RCI started to finish the job. Once they’re back from their vacation in Ontario, the Brontosaurus and other Great Hall dinosaurs are slated to be back on display and looking fresher than ever.

Campus & Community