Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton Sells for $5.3 Million at Swiss Auction

A composite Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, called Trinity and made up of 293 bones collected from three sites across Montana and Wyoming, was auctioned off in Switzerland for $5.3 million at the Koller auction house in Zurich. It stands 38 feet long and 12.8 feet high - just the third completed T.rex skeleton to be offered at an auction worldwide and first ever sold in Europe.

Despite being expected to fetch between roughly $5.4 million and $8.7 million, it still managed to sell below its anticipated price range but is considered a remarkable well-restored original fossil with skull bones that are often not fused together easily detachable from each other.

The teeth on T.rex were likely covered by scaly lips even when open wide as concluded by a study published Thursday after scientists found that they didn't stick out when closed or fully opened their mouths.

Koller had said Tuesday's sale would mark the first time such a complete specimen of this kind would go up for auction anywhere within Europe.