TYRANNOSAURUS REX TOOTH

Late Cretaceous, 66–68 million years
Hell Creek Formation, Montana, USA
6.3 × 3.5 cm

Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland

The Tyrannosaurus rex is a dinosaur that needs no introduction. Already in 1918, 16 years after its discovery, the first movie featuring the largest land-living carnivore in the history of the world came out. It was called 'The Ghost of Slumber Mountain'. Finally the Tyrannosaurus rex, or simply T. rex, became a pop culture icon thanks to the Spielberg film Jurassic Park, one of the most successful films in cinema history.

There have been over 30 specimens of the superlative predator excavated, including some almost complete skeletons. Scotty, the largest specimen, was 42 1/2 ft (13 m) tall and weighed almost nine tons.

Up for auction is a very well preserved specimen that comes from Hell Creek, Montana, where the T. rex was discovered in 1902 by paleontologist Barnum Brown. Brown called the animal he discovered 'my favourite child'. The 66 to 68-million-year-old tooth is 2 1/2 in (6.3 cm) long and possesses beautiful colour and shape.