More than 66 million years ago, in the Cretaceous period, dinosaurs ruled the Earth. A fascinating vestige of that primeval age is the complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex that has just sold at the Koller auction house in Zurich for €5.6 million. It is the first time that a skeleton of these characteristics has been auctioned in Europe.
It is one of the best specimens of the largest terrestrial predator that has ever inhabited our planet. This dinosaur, which measures almost 4 meters high and 11.6 meters long, has received two names, a technical one, TRX-293 (because of the number of bones that compose it), and a more personal one, Trinity, due to the fact that the Half of its bone structure comes from three specimens excavated from the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations in Montana and Wyoming.
Both enclaves are famous because two other famous skeletons were found there: Sue, which was sold in 1997 for 8.4 million euros, and Stan, awarded at Christie's in 2020 for 27.5 million euros (a record still in force), which shot up the prices of these prehistoric relics to a level usually reserved for the most coveted works of art.
Dinosaur fossils are the result of a rare sequence of events that can unfold over tens, thousands, or millions of years. And this is only possible if the conditions are right. First, the carcass must be entombed in the mud or ash shortly after death and before any predator can gnaw at it, removing flesh and limbs.
The body must then sink deep into the earth, so that its bones are imbued with minerals and literally turn to stone. Finally, the geological layer that contains the fossils must remain intact and at a stable temperature and pressure so that the fossil does not disintegrate. According to the scientific journal Nature, barely 32 skeletons of adult Tyrannosaurus Rex specimens have been located on the entire planet.
This sale is therefore a unique opportunity. Each of the 293 bones that make up Trinity's structure was painstakingly excavated, cleaned and restored before being assembled in a montage that recreates it in action. The process usually takes between seven and ten years and requires a multidisciplinary team made up of paleontologists, preparers and curators.
Trinity's importance is due in large part to its surprisingly well-preserved skull, which comes from a single specimen. The quality of the restoration together with the spectacular assembly of the skeleton, allow those who look at it to experience the magnetism that this legendary prehistoric creature continues to exert.
There are dinosaur bones all over the planet, although most of those that come onto the market come from the United States, because it does not have restrictions on the export of fossils, unlike other European countries, and places like China and Canada, with regulations More strict. The list of popular species is headed by the Tyrannosaurus and the Velociraptor; by the way, all velociraptors come from Mongolia, so they cannot be exported. And they are the size of a chicken.
Michael Crichton, the author of the book Jurassic Park, based his famous predators on the deinonychus, a much larger animal, but thought the name velociraptor was more suggestive.
As in any other field, there are collectors who specialize in specific periods: some, for example, only want Jurassic fossils. There are also fans attracted by certain pathologies, such as when the skeleton presents evidence of a fight.
Stan, the Tyrannosaurus Rex sold by Christie's in 2020, had two fused vertebrae, suggesting he broke his neck at some point, but still managed to survive.
The fascination aroused by these prehistoric reptiles knows no age, and not even celebrities seem immune. Actors like Nicolas Cage, Russell Crowe or Leonardo DiCaprio are avid buyers, it is even said that the protagonist of Titanic has a dinosaur skull in his house placed next to a Basquiat painting.
