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A Diplodocus deconstructed
Moving a dinosaur is never easy. Watch as Museum conservators pack Dippy the Diplodocus into boxes, one bone at a time.
Its tail came down first and the rest followed suit. The Museum's Diplodocus cast was safely tucked into boxes.
For the first time in decades the dinosaur was away from the public eye, having been in Hintze Hall, the building's central space, since 1979.
But the dismantling was the first stage in a long process for the beloved specimen as it prepared to embark on a tour of the UK.
Scaffolding and special lifting equipment were installed around Dippy to allow the Museum's conservation team to carefully remove each bone and lower it to the floor.
The head of the Diplodocus cast
Head of Conservation Lorraine Cornish said, 'Over the next few months the conservators will work with a team of specialist engineers to produce a new mount for the Diplodocus.
'It will retain the current pose of the skeleton so the dinosaur can be put together and taken apart more easily and quickly at each of the venues when Dippy goes on tour.'
