T-rex skeleton to become 'collectible toy' after first auction in Asia, expert says

Dinosaur bones to be auctioned off in Asian first

Visitors look at the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex named 'Shen the T. Rex' during a preview by auction house Christie's at the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall in Singapore, 28 October 2022. The dinosaur fossil will be exhibited at the Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall from 28 to 30 October before being auctioned at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 30 November. The 1,400kg T-Rex, measuring 12. 2 meters long, 4. 6 meters high and 2. 1 meters wide, will be the first full Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil offered at an auction in Asia. EPA / HOW HWEE YOUNG

The dinosaur fossil was due to be exhibited at the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall until October 30 before being auctioned.

The 1,400-kilogram dinosaur is 12. 2 metres long, 4.6 metres tall and 2.1 metres wide.

The once-fearsome T-rex appears to stare down at visitors in its path.

The crew set up the fossil.

It is the first full T-rex fossil to be auctioned in Asia. Reuters

The tail of the prehistoric predator, which was due to be auctioned at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on November 30.

Shen's ribs are given a tickle during the installation.

Crew members put together the skeleton.

Dinosaur fans were given a glimpse of the rare Tyrannosaurus rex.

These claws were made for walking.

Shen it its full glory.

A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton will be auctioned off to a private seller next month after going on display in Singapore.

"It's a sad thing that dinosaurs are becoming collectible toys for the oligarch class and I can only hope this fad ends soon," Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh, told AFP.

He said the remains belonged in museums and private sales were "bad news for science".

The 1,400-kilogram skeleton will be the first T-rex skeleton auctioned in Asia, according to auction house Christie's.

The T-rex, called Shen — or god-like — will be on display for three days before being shipped to Hong Kong next month to be sold.

The adult dinosaur, which is 4.6 metres tall and 12 metres long, is made up of about 80 bones. It was excavated from private land in the US state of Montana in 2020.

Shen, thought to be male, lived during the Cretaceous period about 67 million years ago.

Christie's gave no price estimate for the lot.

A T-rex known as Stan was sold for $31.8 million by Christie's in 2020.

In July, the first skeleton of a Gorgosaurus went under the hammer for $6.1 million in New York.

"None of the 20 T-rex that exist in the world are owned by either an Asian institution or an Asian collector," said Francis Belin, president of Christie's Asia Pacific.

"We really wish that Shen will find a new home among our Asian collectors here."

But the trend for prehistoric auction lots has some experts concerned.

Thomas Carr, a paleontologist from the US, described such sales as "unquestionably harmful to science" even if the skeletons had been studied before being sold.

"A secure, permanent collection ensures that the observations that a scientist makes of a fossil can be tested and replicated — and a commercially held fossil has no such assurance," Mr Carr said.

Mr Belin said he hoped a public institution would buy Shen. He said the whole skeleton had been fully researched, recorded in 3D and "all the elements of the skeleton will be made available for the public to research".

"We strongly hope that the new owner, whether it's an institution or private, will ensure that it's being seen by the public," he said.

"I've never seen a real-life fossil before ... It makes me feel in awe because it's quite majestic," said Lauren Lim, 33, who went to view the exhibit.