Big Sara

For the first time ever, a large scale authentic dinosaur fossil is on display in a shopping centre in the UK. YES! You will be able to meet Big Sara, at Westquay. Dating from the Upper Jurassic period, Big Sara is an allosaurus measuring 10 metres in length and 3.5 metres in height. With 70% of its skeleton intact, Big Sara is one of the most complete allosaurus skeletons ever discovered. The fossil was discovered in 2015 on a steep hillside in the Morrison Formation in Wyoming, acknowledged as the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America, and took more than two years to fully remove. Big Sara would have roamed the earth around 150 million years ago. Allosaurus means ‘different lizard’ because of its unique concave vertebrae, and they are believed to be a cousin of the T-Rex. As a formidable carnivore, she would have been top of the food chain and ripped her prey apart with her killer claws. Some palaeontologists believe the allosaurus was a social animal and hunted in packs while others believe individuals may have been aggressive toward each other and have a reputation for fighting. Big Sara has been loaned to Westquay shopping centre, initially for a two-year period, by the Bournemouth based Richmond Group which bought the dinosaur at auction. Find Big Sara in Westquay South, near Five Guys.