How did T. rex become the iconic apex predator of North America 67 million years ago? Paleontologist Dr. Lindsay Zanno is uncovering the answer. Each year she spends several months on expedition, scouring the badlands of western North America in search of clues. Along the way, she has discovered many new species—including some of the earliest predecessors of T. rex. Join Lindsay for a fascinating look at how a global climate crisis during the Cretaceous changed the course of evolution for this prehistoric tyrant and its ancestors. 

Dr. Lindsay Zanno is Head of Paleontology at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. She is one of the world’s leading experts on the evolution of theropod dinosaurs. Dr. Zanno has a soft spot for the American West, where she has discovered more than a dozen new species, including Siats, one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs on the continent, and Moros, North America’s tiniest tyrannosaur. 

Come early for a preshow curtain warmer with the Nebraska State Museum of Natural History! Museum curators will host family-friendly activities and bring prehistoric artifacts from Mesozoic era Nebraska!  LESS INFORMATION