How Old Is Gertie In Et

So, there I was, scrolling through my social media feed, when I stumbled upon a post that had me scratching my head. It was a video of a dinosaur, or at least something that looked like it, walking around in a museum. The caption read, "Meet Gertie, the oldest dinosaur in the world!" Now, I'm no paleontologist, but I've seen enough Jurassic Park to know that dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago. So, how could this Gertie be older than that?

Curiosity piqued, I decided to do some digging. Turns out, Gertie isn't a dinosaur at all. She's a brontosaurus, a type of sauropod dinosaur, and she's not older than the extinction event. She's actually a replica of a dinosaur, created by the American Museum of Natural History in 1905. So, why the confusion?

Gertie's Age: A Matter of Perspective

Well, my friends, it seems Gertie's age is a matter of perspective. If you're talking about the original fossil that Gertie is based on, then she's indeed older than the extinction event. The fossil, known as the YPM 4225, was discovered in 1900 in Colorado. It's a partial skeleton of a Brontosaurus excelsus, and it's estimated to be around 150 million years old.

But if you're talking about the Gertie the Dinosaur we see in museums today, then she's a mere 117 years old. That's right, she's younger than my grandma! The original Gertie, created by museum preparator John T. Gregory, was destroyed in a fire in 1938. The Gertie we see today is a replica created in the 1990s.

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Why the Confusion?

So, why the confusion about Gertie's age? I think it's because we tend to forget that the dinosaurs we see in museums are replicas, not the actual fossils. We get so used to seeing them that we forget they're not the real deal. Plus, let's face it, it's way more fun to imagine that we're looking at a real, live dinosaur than a bunch of old bones.

But here's the thing, folks. Those old bones are what make Gertie, and all the other dinosaurs we love, possible. Without them, we wouldn't have any idea what these creatures looked like, how they lived, or even that they existed. So, while it's fun to imagine Gertie as a real, live dinosaur, it's also important to remember that she's a replica, and that she's based on something much older and much more amazing.

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Visiting Gertie: A Trip Through Time

If you're ever in New York City, I highly recommend visiting the American Museum of Natural History and saying hi to Gertie. It's a trip through time, from the modern, bustling city outside to the prehistoric world inside. And who knows, maybe you'll even learn something new. Like, for instance, that Gertie isn't as old as you thought she was.

So, next time you see a post about Gertie, or any other dinosaur, remember to take it with a grain of salt. Because while they might not be as old as we think, they're still pretty darn amazing.