There recently have been a couple BIG changes in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History‘s Kirtland Hall.
As part of its transformation project, the museum de-installed its iconic sauropod specimen, Haplocanthosaurus delfsi, affectionately known as “Happy.”
Happy was excavated by CMNH in 1954 and has stood proudly in Kirtland Hall for decades. During this time, paleontologists have uncovered new information about the anatomy of dinosaurs— including the position and structure of their tails. Though Happy was previously mounted with its tail touching the floor, recent research indicates that dinosaurs were much more likely to hold their tails above the ground.
Happy is headed to Research Casting International in Ontario, Canada, to be remounted in an anatomical position that reflects the latest scientific evidence.
Happy will be the first of CMNH’s dinosaurs to be removed from the gallery to undergo restoration and/or remounting work before reinstallation in the new Visitor Hall in late 2023. The newly mounted Happy will be one of the world’s most accurately displayed fossil sauropods — the lineage of large dinosaurs of which Happy is a member.
In the meantime, Happy’s vacated corner of the gallery is home to a new specimen. Watch the video above to learn how Research Casting International installed a cast of Diplodocus carnegii, also known as “Dippy.” This massive, 79-foot-long sauropod dinosaur usually resides at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. The cast will be on display in Kirtland Hall through September 2022, providing a unique chance for museum visitors to see a dinosaur species never before exhibited in Cleveland.
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