Scientists fear the first ever European sale of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton will mean the bones are consigned to a private collection, making it impossible for researchers to study them.
More than 11 metres (36ft) long, the skeleton is described in an auction catalogue as “one of the finest known specimens of one of the largest predators that ever roamed the Earth”. It is due to go to auction in Zurich next month, where it is expected to fetch between £4.5 million and £7.2 million.
Paleontologists believe that the price will be beyond the means of any museum. They are concerned that it will join a growing list of scientifically invaluable fossils, unearthed after lying undisturbed for tens of millions of years, that then vanish
