LONDON, Jan. 29 (UPI) — Dippy, the giant diplodocus dinosaur skeleton, has occupied the lobby of London’s Natural History Museum for several decades. But his streak is about to end. No longer will school children be greeted by the long, veggie eating dino; instead, they’ll say hello to an equally massive blue whale.
Dippy is a plaster replica of the Diplodocus carnegii skeleton discovered in 1898 in the United States. The original skeleton has been on display since 1905, and remains today in Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
But while Dippy remains a fan favorite in London, curators there say it’s time to bring attention to the remarkable animals still living on planet Earth — many of which remain under threat of extinction.
“As the largest known animal to have ever lived on Earth, the story of the blue whale reminds us of the scale of our responsibility to the planet,” Sir Michael Dixon, the museum’s director, explained in a press release. “This makes it the perfect choice of specimen to welcome and capture the imagination of our visitors, as well as marking a major transformation of the Museum.”
The blue whale display won’t be a dire warning so much as a message of hope — symbolic proof of what conservation efforts can accomplish. Once on the brink of extinction, blue whales are now thriving; the species has recovered to 97 percent of its original population numbers.
For those saddened by the impending loss of Dippy, there’s a silver lining: the beloved dino won’t be gone for another two years. Visitors will have until 2017 to visit Dippy before he’s swapped out for the whale skeleton.
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