The Burke Museum in Seattle has opened its doors to a rare discovery -- a Tyrannousarus rex fossil that's considered as one of the finest ones in the world.
According to the museum's press release sent to Nature World News, Gregory P. Wilson, a biology professor at the University of Washington, and his team, made the breakthrough discovery in northern Montana's Hell Creek Formation.
Wilson and paleontology volunteers Jason Love and Luke Tufts spotted the fossil in a rocky hillside. Nicknamed as "Tufts-Love Rex" (from the names of the volunteers), the said fossil measures four feet long and weighs about 2,500 pounds.The fossil has an almost complete skull as well as vertebrae, hips, ribs and lower jawline bones.
“We think the Tufts-Love Rex is going to be an iconic specimen for the Burke Museum and the state of Washington and will be a must-see for dinosaur researchers as well,” said Wilson.
Estimated to be 66.3 million years old, the team reveals that the dinosaur's size is 85 percent of the largest T. rex fossil found. To put it into perspective, it would be the size of a city bus.
Tufts-Love Rex is considered to be one of the world's top 25 T. rex discoveries of all time and is the only one in Washington that will be on display, Geek Wire reports.
Jack Hormer, Burke Museum research associate, said, "Having seen the ‘Tufts-Love Rex’ during its excavation I can attest to the fact that it is definitely one of the most significant specimens yet found, and because of its size, is sure to yield important information about the growth and possible eating habits of these magnificent animals."
However, Wilson and his team is not stopping just yet. “We’re going to go back again next year to find the rest. There’s more in the hill," he told Seattle Times.
The Burke Museum is planning to put the newly discoverd T. rex fossil on display in March in line with its annual Dino Weekend.
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