Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum invites public to name T. rex and blue whale
Two of the largest residents of Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi still do not have names, and the museum is now asking the public to choose them.
The museum, located in Saadiyat Cultural District, has launched a competition titled “Name the Two Giants: Your Chance to Make History”, inviting residents and visitors to suggest names for a Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) skeleton and a 25-metre blue whale.
The two winning names will be permanently displayed alongside the specimens at the museum.
🟤 Meet the Museum’s Two Giants
The first specimen is a male T. rex displayed alongside Stan, the museum’s better-known Tyrannosaurus. According to the museum, it is among the five most complete T. rex skeletons ever discovered worldwide.
The second specimen is a female blue whale, a species regarded as the largest known animal in Earth’s history. The whale washed ashore on Canada’s east coast in 2021 and is now on display in the museum’s galleries.
Unlike the blue whales at museums in London and New York, which are suspended high above visitors, the Abu Dhabi whale is mounted about 3 metres above the floor.
🟤 “Science Begins With a Name”
Professor Peter C. Kjærgaard, director of Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, said naming plays an important role in scientific work.
“Science begins with a name. Naming turns a discovery into something we can study, share knowledge about and protect,” he said.
He added that the museum was proud to give the community an opportunity to help name two important specimens in its collection, as the museum was created to enable public participation in science.
He said the selected names would be used in the future by researchers, teachers and generations of visitors.
🟤 How to Enter the Competition
Submissions opened on October 5, 2026, and will remain open until October 25, 2026.
Participants can submit their proposed names through the museum’s website at nhmad.ae, with no limit on the number of entries per person.
After the submission deadline, a panel of experts from the museum and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi will review the proposals.
The winning names will be announced by the end of this year, and each winner will receive a commemorative prize from the museum.
Entry period: October 5 to 25, 2026
Submission portal: Online via nhmad.ae
Entry fee: Free
🟤 Names With a Story Behind Them
Naming scientific specimens is an important part of the discovery and scientific documentation process. Several fossils found in Abu Dhabi have also been given names linked to the emirate.
These include Abudhabia baynunensis, an extinct gerbil that lived about 7 to 8 million years ago. Its name is derived from Abu Dhabi and the Baynunah geological formation.
Hipparion abudhabiense was a three-toed horse that once roamed the region’s ancient grasslands.
Stegotetrabelodon emiratus, an extinct four-tusked elephant, also bears a name referring to the UAE.
Some specimens are named after the people who discovered them. Stan, the museum’s other T. rex, was named after Stan Sacrison, the amateur palaeontologist who discovered its first bones in South Dakota in 1987. The skeleton is estimated to be about 67 million years old.
🟤 About Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi
Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi opened on November 22, 2025. Covering about 35,000 square metres, it is the largest museum of its kind in the region.
Designed by Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo, the museum traces 13.8 billion years of natural history, from the Big Bang to the present day, with a particular focus on the Arabian Peninsula.
Other highlights include the Murchison meteorite, which fell in Australia in 1969 and contains materials that are older than the Solar System.