Visitors look at a 67 million year-old skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur, named Trix, during the first day of the exhibition “A T-Rex in Paris” at the French National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France, June 6, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
June 6, 2018
PARIS (Reuters) – You’ve seen computer-generated versions in the “Jurassic Park” films, you may have seen models in museums or theme parks, but an exhibit that opened in Paris on Wednesday lets visitors come face-to-face with the real thing: a genuine Tyrannosaurus rex.
With her enormous teeth frozen in a sinister grin, “Trix” is the first real T.rex skeleton to go on display in France, according to the National Museum of Natural History.
One of the most complete Tyrannosaurus skeletons in the world, with 75 percent of her bones in “excellent form”, according to the museum, the 67 million-year-old dinosaur is 12.5 meters (41 ft) long and 4 meters (13 ft) high.
A Dutch team found the specimen in Montana, USA with her skull intact, according to the museum, which says the exhibit is “the first time a real T.rex skeleton, not a moulding or a reproduction, will be presented to the public in France”.
“What this T.rex gives us is a huge amount of information about how it lived, and especially we can observe a lot of injuries, fractures and bone infections,” palaeontologist Florent Goussard said.
The specimen will be on show at the Paris museum until September.
(Reporting By Aline Bottin; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
