Rare T-Rex skeleton to go under the hammer in Switzerland

A 67-million-year-old T-Rex skeleton named "TRX-293 TRINITY Tyrannosaurus" and measuring 11.6m long and 3.9m high, is seen during a preview at Koller auction house in Zurich, Switzerland March 29, 2023. This king of dinosaurs is only the third such a creature ever offered at auction, and the first time in Europe and is expected to fetch 5 million to 8 million Swiss francs ($5.44-8.71 million USD) when it goes on sale in Zurich on April 18th. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Millions of years after dinosaurs ruled the Earth, the skeleton of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex was introduced to the public in Switzerland on Wednesday ahead of its auction next month.

The giant carnivore, named TRX-293 Trinity, is expected to fetch between 5 million ($5.43 million) and 8 million Swiss francs ($8.70 million) when it goes on sale in Zurich on April 18.

Standing 3.9 metres high and measuring 11.6 metres long, it is only the third T-Rex skeleton to be offered at auction, and the first in Europe.

A 67-million-year-old T-Rex skeleton named "TRX-293 TRINITY Tyrannosaurus" and measuring 11.6m long and 3.9m high, is seen during a preview at Koller auction house in Zurich, Switzerland March 29, 2023. This king of dinosaurs is only the third such a creature ever offered at auction, and the first time in Europe and is expected to fetch 5 million to 8 million Swiss francs ($5.44-8.71 million USD) when it goes on sale in Zurich on April 18th. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

"The name of this skeleton is ‘Trinity’, because it's built out of three individuals and all were found in the U.S.," said Cyril Koller, owner of the auction house conducting the sale.

The rest of the name derives from the 293 bones in its skeleton.

Koller thought a private individual would be the likely buyer, although he was sure the public would still get to see it in future.

View of the mouth of a 67-million-year-old T-Rex skeleton named "TRX-293 TRINITY Tyrannosaurus" is seen during a preview at Koller auction house in Zurich, Switzerland March 29, 2023. This king of dinosaurs is only the third such a creature ever offered at auction, and the first time in Europe and is expected to fetch 5 million to 8 million Swiss francs ($5.44-8.71 million USD) when it goes on sale in Zurich on April 18th. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Discoveries of T-Rex fossils are extremely rare, said Hans Jacob-Siber, a paleontologist at the Aathal Dinosaur Museum in Switzerland.

"It’s not a cast or a copy, it’s the original. And there are very few, very few," Siber told Reuters. "In fact, until about 1970 or 1980, there used to be less than a dozen Tyrannosaurus, most of them were already in United States' museums."

Almost all of the other fossilised T-Rexes are housed in museums, meaning massive interest whenever a skeleton comes up for sale.

A 1.4 tonne T-Rex skeleton named Shen is exhibited at the Victoria Concert Hall during an event organised by auction house Christie's Hong Kong, ahead of the first T-Rex auction in Asia, in Singapore, October 28, 2022. REUTERS/Travis Teo

Two other T-Rexes discovered in North America - called Sue and Stan - fetched $8.4 million and $31.8 million respectively when they were sold in 1997 and 2020.

($1 = 0.9191 Swiss francs)

Bones from the lower rib cage of Shen the T. rex, a 1.4 tonne Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur skeleton that is being offered for auction by Christie's, assembled for display at the Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall in Singapore October 27, 2022. REUTERS/Edgar Su

(Reporting by Cecile Mantovani, writing by John Revill, editing by Christina Fincher)

The tail of a 67-million-year-old T-Rex skeleton named "TRX-293 TRINITY Tyrannosaurus" is seen during a preview at Koller auction house in Zurich, Switzerland March 29, 2023. This king of dinosaurs is only the third such a creature ever offered at auction, and the first time in Europe and is expected to fetch 5 million to 8 million Swiss francs ($5.44-8.71 million USD) when it goes on sale in Zurich on April 18th. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse