Skeleton of T rex joins museum’s collection
One of only three pregnant Tyrannosaurus rex (T rex) skeletons ever found can now be seen by the public for the first time at Auckland Museum.
Barbara will be joining Peter, one of the most complete fossils of the iconic dinosaur ever found – making the pair the first adult male and female T rex to be displayed together.
She was discovered in the Hell Creek Formation in north-eastern Montana, US, buried in sediment dating back 66 million years.
The dinosaur will be on loan to the museum, donated by the same anonymous person also loaning Peter.
Stuff understands Peter was named after a member of the lender’s family. The local lending and value of the skeletons – which could run into the tens of millions – suggest they belong to a wealthy donor, with a very strong connection to New Zealand.
With 44.7% of her bones found, Barbara is the eighth most complete T rex ever discovered.
A pathologic study showed that she was almost certainly carrying eggs or young when she died.
Adding to her uniqueness, studies reveal she had suffered a severe foot injury – which would have drastically impacted her ability to hunt. The study theorised that despite fully healing, Barbara would have been left
with a limp and had to rely on being fed by the pack, or from scavenging, to eat.
The high proportion of bones recovered was important, as it helped people to understand the sheer scale of these creatures, Auckland Museum chief executive Dr David Gaimster said.
‘‘This dramatic display will be the envy of every museum around the world.’’
Having the pair allows the museum to really double-down on educating people about the Cretaceous period, he said. ‘‘Peter really activated our audience . . . three-out-of-four visitors to Auckland museum say they’ve come here because of him.’’
T rex skeletons are worth tens of million of dollars, based on previous sales. In 2020, one sold for US$38.1 million (NZ$45M) at Christie’s in New York.