Tyrannosaurus rex gets wings

A 66-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex has experienced the convenience of modern air travel, flying from the US to its new home in the Netherlands.

The 6 000kg, 13-metre-long skeleton was flown from Chicago to Amsterdam last week by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

It shared the journey with 250 ordinary passengers, and carried its own passport, complete with a head shot and signature (two claw strokes).

KLM Cargo executive vicepresident Marcel de Nooijer said it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for passengers flying with the dinosaur.

The female T-Rex, named Trix, was excavated in Montana in 2013 by the Dutch museum, Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, and the Black Hills Institute in South Dakota.

She is considered one of the best-preserved dinosaur skeletons in the world, with almost 80% of her bones found.

Trix will be exhibited at the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in the Dutch city of Leiden, which will be the first museum outside North America to own and exhibit a Tyrannosaurus rex.