SCIENCE

Dinosaur Sighting: Recyclosaurus

A reader shows us a snapshot of a spare-parts dinosaur

Riley Black

Science Correspondent

Recyclosaurus rex, seen outside the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida.
Recyclosaurus rex, seen outside the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida. Photo courtesy of reader Wyrmwren

Last month, we asked readers to vote for their favorite entry from all the weird and wonderful Dinosaur Sightings we’ve cataloged over the past few years. Naturally, though, there are even more roadside monsters out there. Readers quickly responded with a significant omission from our list–Tampa, Florida’s Recyclosaurus.

Reader Wyrmwren sent in this snapshot, writing “With so much to see and all the traffic, we almost missed him and had to go back for a closer look.” But this dinosaurian monument to recycling isn’t looking as good as it did when it was constructed in 1992. The mass of steel beams, plastic fencing and aluminum cans needs some touch-ups, and there’s a campaign to save the Recyclosaurus from extinction.

Have you seen a dinosaur or other prehistoric creature in an unusual place? Please send a photo to [email protected].

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Riley Black

Riley Black is the author of The Last Days of the Dinosaurs and many other books. She is a science correspondent for Smithsonian magazine covering fossils and natural history, and she writes about the prehistoric past for a variety of publications.