12 Apr 2014

Dinosaur skeleton bound for Smithsonian

7:59 am on 12 April 2014

The skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex that roamed the earth 65 million years ago is being taken by road across the United States from Montana to Washington DC.

The fossil of the seven tonne, 38-foot dinosaur was found on federal land in Montana in 1988.

It is to be mounted at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC in an exhibit that will open in 2019 and is expected to attract eight million visitors a year.

The dinosaur is on loan to the Smithsonian for 50 years.

Its bones have been packed into 16 crates for the four day trip.

The skeleton is considered second only to "Sue," a famed T.rex at The Field Museum in Chicago.