This is where you can see Dippy the Diplodocus when he goes on a nationwide tour

It’s a sad day for dinosaur enthusiasts everywhere, as visitors to the Natural History Museum have only hours left to enjoy the famous sight of Dippy the Diplodocus before he is dismantled ahead of a UK tour.

The 70ft plaster-cast sauropod replica, made up of 292 bones, has been a welcoming sight in the museum’s Hintze Hall since 1979 – but he will bid farewell to the public tonight at closing time.

A team of six experts will begin the three-and-a-half week task of dismantling Dippy, piece by piece, beginning with his tail on January 5.

And once he’s cleaned and repaired, Dippy will be packed into 12 crates before heading out on a tour next year – which will see him displayed at the Dorset County Museum, which has a gallery dedicated to Britain’s fossil-rich Jurassic Coast.

He’ll also travel to Birmingham Museum, Ulster Museum, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Great North Museum in Newcastle, the National Assembly of Wales in Cardiff, Number One Riverside in Rochdale, and Norwich Cathedral.

Dippy’s famous spot at the museum’s entrance will now be taken up by the real skeleton of an 83ft female blue whale, which weighs a whopping 4.5 tonnes.

The whale first went on display in 1938 when the mammals hall opened and has been suspended over a 94ft model ever since.

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She’ll now be suspended from the ceiling of the newly renovated hall on 0.6in (15mm) wire strands.

As for Dippy, you can catch him at all the following locations on his UK tour.

• Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery – May 2018 to September 2018

• Ulster Museum – September 2018 to January 2019

• Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum – January 2019 to May 2019

• Great North Museum, Hancock – May 2019 to October 2019

• National Assembly for Wales – October 2019 to January 2020

• Number One Riverside, Rochdale – February 2020 to June 2020

• Norwich Cathedral – July 2020 to October 2020

Farewell Dippy, London will miss you!