DIPPY the dino has arrived in Glasgow – and Clyde Primary pupils were the first to welcome him to the city.

The Yoker school’s primary four class won our competition to meet the famous dinosaur skeleton, which arrived in Glasgow today (Tuesday) to much excitement.

Dippy’s new home at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is the only Scottish stop on a national tour.

The excited pupils, led by class dino experts Alan and Abby, got the chance to see Dippy up close and take part in dinosaur activities laid on especially for them by Kelvingrove learning assistant Anna Henderson.

“I absolutely love dinosaurs and I am super excited Dippy is in Glasgow,” said eight-year-old Abby.

“These creatures lived before people and are so inspiring and so cool. They come in all shapes and sizes and existed long, long before us, which is really weird and amazing.”

She added: “It was good to learn that Dippy has 45 teeth and a long tail to swish away predators, and that he might be a she as they don’t really know whether it’s a boy or a girl.”

Alan, who is also eight, agreed: “I have read lots of books about dinosaurs, I have seen lots of films about dinosaurs and I have watched lots of TV programmes about dinosaurs and my friends say I am a dinosaur expert.

“I’m really EXCITED to see Dippy. He is massive.”

Class teacher Karen Deery said the children were incredibly excited to be the first in Scotland to see the Natural History Museum diplodocus in his temporary home.

“They are all amazed by how huge he is, and are loving taking part in the activities,” she added.

The 292-bone, 21.3-metre-long structure looks perfectly at home in Kelvingrove’s Central Hall, as Ann Ainsworth, curator of geology for Glasgow Museums, explained.

“Everyone is really excited now that Dippy is here, and he looks like he was made for the space,” she smiled.

Director of the Natural History Museum, Sir Michael Dixon said: ‘We are thrilled that Dippy has made it safely across the Irish sea and has now arrived at Kelvingrove.

“This marks the fourth stop of Dippy on Tour - a journey that has so far seen record visitor numbers at the three previous venues.

Dippy has acted as an ambassador for the natural world inspiring thousands of children to explore nature on their doorstep. We are sure his impact will be just as powerful in Scotland.”

Diplodocus carnegii is named after Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-American steel magnate and philanthropist who financed its excavation in Wyoming, USA in 1899.

It was to become the centrepiece of The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. King Edward VII saw a sketch of the dinosaur while visiting Andrew Carnegie at his Scottish castle and asked for a replica cast to be shown in London. Dippy, as he became known, was unveiled at the Natural History Museum London in 1905, where he remained one of the most popular exhibits until preparations began for the tour in 2017.

It took a team of four technicians and two conservators from the Natural History Museum London five days to piece the giant jigsaw together at Kelvingrove, where, for the first time, visitors could watch the transformation take place from the balcony.

The Natural History Museum’s Head of Conservation, Lorraine Cornish was joined by Emillie McQuade from Sunnyside Primary School, who put the final toe bone into position just ahead of Dippy opening to the public.

Emillie said: “To see Dippy arrive on Scottish soil is amazing. I’m sure Andrew Carnegie would approve of it being on show and inspiring Scottish children. At Sunnyside, our Ocean Defenders work hard to ensure that the great creatures we’re lucky still to have don’t end up only seen as museum pieces.

“So we hope that Dippy not only inspires people to find out more about nature’s past, but also motivates them to protect and treasure what we still have.”

William Thomson, Andrew Carnegie’s great grandson, who attended the opening, said:“For Andrew Carnegie, Diplodocus carnegii was more than a huge prehistoric creature, it was a symbol and an opportunity.

“By gifting copies to the heads of state of seven other countries as well as the UK, Carnegie hoped to demonstrate through mutual interest in scientific discoveries that nations have more in common than what separates them.

“He used his gifts in an attempt to open interstate dialogue on preserving world peace – a form of dinosaur diplomacy!

“The exhibition sheds some light on this remarkable story.”

Dippy on Tour : A Natural History Adventure, runs until May 6. Admission is free.