Wankel T. rex replica visits Conant
Mahnoor Nadeem | Conant Crier After a two-week stay in the atrium, Conant’s life-size replica of the Wankel T. rex skull—nicknamed Norm—on loan from the Chicago Field Museum, ended its limited exhibition.
Featured by Earth Science teachers, this display provided students an unusual opportunity to examine a museum-grade fossil model up close. Unlike standard museum rules, teachers allowed gentle touching, making the Wankel an entirely hands-on experience and, in turn, one of the most interactive exhibits Conant has ever had.
“A lot of kids don’t typically gravitate always towards that [the geology] unit,” Katherine Notolli, an Earth Science teacher, remarked. “But when I start mentioning the dinosaurs, that’s when I found they’ve always gotten excited.”
The fossil was named after Kathy Wankel, the Montana rancher who first spotted the bones on a hike. This replica represented the original fossil discovered in Montana’s Fort Peck Reservoir, a region known for rock layers that preserve the Cretaceous ecosystem. The fossil was from a specific rock layer, called “Hell Creek Formation,” which Ms. Nottoli said is “sandstone rock deposited around 68 million years ago (not 67).”
What made the Wankel T. rex particularly important was the discovery of the first fully complete forelimb from a T. rex, a rarity in paleontology. “Its really hard to find a fully complete skeleton because … other animals can pick up and move things,” Nottoli said.
The science department hasn’t confirmed whether Norm will return next year, but with student engagement high, the decision now depends on whether both funding and timing align.
