City Cast Chicago logo

Urban Almanac: Largest Predatory Dinosaur

Posted on June 1, 2023   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Sidney Madden

Sidney Madden

A rendering of a dinosaur hanging in a big hall

A design rendering of Spinosaurus at the Field Museum. (Courtesy of the Field Museum)

Introducing Spinosaurus

Next time you go to the Field Museum, you’ll see a 46-foot long dinosaur with a crocodile-like snout and paddle-like tail hanging from the ceiling.

It's a cast of the Spinosaurus, a semiaquatic predatory dinosaur who swam the northern rivers of Africa 95 million years ago, the museum said. Museum Campus is the only place in the Western Hemisphere where you can see the world’s largest predatory dinosaur starting Saturday.

A person take a selfie in front of a dinosaur exhibit

Selfie time with Sue the T. rex at the Field Museum in 2020. (Joel Lerner / Xinhua / Getty)

Ergh, what about Sue?

ICYMI: Sue the T. rex got bounced from the main hall a few years ago to make room for a titanosaur, the largest dinosaur known to humankind. Sue’s been chilling on the second floor since.

Discovered by namesake and fossil collector Sue Hendrickson in 1990, Sue is one of the largest and best-preserved T. Rexes found.

Sue might not be the biggest and baddest dino at the Field anymore, but they are still a non-binary icon and Twitter famous.

🦖 Check out the Spinosaurus at Dino Fest June 10.

🦕 Don’t sleep on free admission days at the Field for Illinois residents!

Share article

Hey Chicago

Stay connected to City Cast Chicago and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.
Advertisement image

The latest in Chicago

Chicago, ExplainedAugust 21

Take This Week's Chicago News Trivia Quiz

How closely were you paying attention to this week's current events in Chicago? Test yourself in our weekly trivia quiz.

A man in a cubs uniform bracing for a man in a white sox stealing a base
Keep It LocalAugust 20

How Transit Tees Turns Chicago’s Quirks Into Board Games

From board games about the city’s history to puzzles of iconic maps to card decks featuring local wildlife, Transit Tees’ teams of creato...

A person writing on a gridded paper that says "Chicago 1893" There's also a board game with an assortment of different houses for the board game on it. There is also A bowl of popcorn and a soda on the table
Keep It LocalAugust 20

Your Guide to Chicago’s Toy Stores

From vintage toys to a workshop series for aspiring toy inventors, Here's a list of places that’ll help you spoil the kids in your life a...

A table with an assortment of different stuffed animals
Keep It LocalAugust 13

Your Guide to Chicago’s Stationery Stores

Whether you’re actually going back to school soon or you just love analog hobbies, these local shops will help you find all kinds of stat...

A large group of people inside a store. They are looking at an assortment of items
Food & DrinkAugust 13

5 New Spots to Dine and Drink

Chicago is hot AF right now — and so is the dining scene. These recent openings have caught our eye.

A room with velvet drapes on every wall. On the ceiling there are chandeliers and people are sitting at a booth
Keep It LocalAugust 13

Family-Run Atlas Stationers Has Supplied Chicago’s Pens For Decades

For decades, the family-run shop delivered office supplies in bulk to offices in the Loop.

The outside of a brick building, the sign says "Atlas Stationers Inc"
Keep It LocalAugust 6

Your Guide to Dog-Friendly Patios

Want to enjoy patio weather, but hate leaving your pup at home? Check out our guide on the best dog-friendly patios in Chicago.

A curly-haired golden doodle wearing a harness steps into a small blue kiddie pool filled with colorful beach balls at a dog-friendly outdoor patio, with diners seated under blue and white striped umbrellas in the background.
Keep It LocalJuly 30

Why Creatives Love Epiphany Center for the Arts

Five years ago, a group of artists transformed a shuttered, historic church at 201 S. Ashland Ave. into Epiphany Center for the Arts. Sin...

An indoor space with hanging lights and a wood floor. The walls are short but the roof is very tall. There are small remnants of a church left like the windows