In 1905 a cast of a Diplodocus skeleton was donated to the Museum by the wealthy businessman Andrew Carnegie, based on the original specimen in the Carnegie Museum in the USA.
King Edward VII had requested a copy of the newly discovered dinosaur after seeing a picture of it in Carnegie’s Scottish castle. From 1979 to early 2017 the cast – known affectionately as Dippy – was on display in the Museum’s Hintze Hall.
In 1993, Dippy’s tail was lifted from the ground after research revealed that Diplodocus tails would have been raised high to balance the neck.
Every two years or so, Museum experts used specialist equipment to clean the 292 bones that make up Dippy. It takes two staff two days to clean the cast and make sure it is maintained for future generations to enjoy.
Dippy has now left the Museum to go on a natural history adventure. From February 2018 to October 2020 Dippy will be visiting eight venues across the UK.