By . Associated Press . More than 100 years after dinosaurs were first displayed on the National Mall, T. Rex - the king - is joining the Smithsonian collection after a 2,000-mile journey from Montana. Paleontologists and curators unveiled parts of a nearly complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton Tuesday, including its jaw with teeth as big as bananas, at the National Museum of Natural History. FedEx delivered the dinosaur bones in a special truck carrying 16 carefully packed crates that were kept at room temperature for the four-day trip. Scroll down for video . Unveiling: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Director Kirk Johnson, left, and Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general of the Army Corps of Engineers, unveil the fossilized bones of a Tyrannosaurus rex during a ceremony at the museum in Washington . Long trip: The Tyrannosaurus rex is joining the dinosaur fossil collection on the National Mall on Tuesday after a more than 2,000-mile journey from Montana . Quite the find: The original fossilized bones of this T. rex arrived at the museum Tuesday and will be reassembled for display . Fossils:  In 1988 the Wankels discovered the fossilized bones while hiking in a rugged section of a federal wildlife refuge in eastern Montana. Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest land carnivores of all time . Boxed-in: A crate containing the fossilized jaw bone of The Nation's T. rex The crate, is one of 16, containing the remains of The Nations T. rex, . A large leg bone and the T. rex teeth . drew 'ahs' as Museum Director Kirk Johnson told a crowd that the . skeleton ranks as one of the top five T. rex skeletons discovered . because it's about 85 percent complete. 'It lay in the ground much as it had died on the shores of a stream in Montana just over 66 million years ago,' Johnson said. It was discovered in 1988 on federal land in Montana and is one of about half a dozen nearly complete T. rex skeletons that have been uncovered. The prize fossils have been tough to acquire. The Smithsonian set out to buy one at auction in 1997 but was outbid for that T. rex named Sue. She went to Chicago's Field Museum for $7.6 million. Almost 30 years:  The dineosaur was discovered by a Montana rancher near Fort Peck Reservoir in 1988 which is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Nations T. rex is on loan to the Natural History Museum for 50 years . Delicate: The fossilized bones of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex are encased in plaster and held in padded crates after being shipped from Montana . Monumental: For the first time since its dinosaur hall opened in 1911, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History will have a nearly complete T. rex skeleton . Special delivery: FedEx is delivering the dinosaur bones in a truck carrying 16 carefully packed crates . Enormous: Montana State University Administrative Director of Palentology Pat Leiggi rests his hands on the fossilized right femur of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex . Large: Formerly known as the Wankel T. rex, the nearly-complete dinosaur fossil was discovered in 1988 in eastern Montana and will be the centerpiece of the museum's new 31,000-square-foot fossil hall, which will open in 2019 . Now the Smithsonian's specimen could become the most prominent with its new home in one of the world's most-visited museums. About 7 million people visit the natural history museum each year, and it offers free admission. Kathy Wankel, a Montana rancher who discovered the bones in 1998 during a camping trip, said she initially spotted about 3 inches of bone sticking out of the ground and dug out a small arm bone. She said she's proud to see the fossil in a national museum. 'We were so thrilled we had found a bone; we called that a mega find,' she said at the museum. 'But I think now this is a mega find.' Paleontologists from the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Mont., excavated the fossil, and it's been housed there for the past 25 years. At the Smithsonian, the skeleton will be mounted upright for the first time. Many people think of the T. rex as the ultimate dinosaur, and it's the first thing they want to see, paleontology curator Hans Sues said. Its name is a combination of Greek and Latin meaning "king of the tyrant lizards," and it was one of the largest predators to live on land. 'In some ways, I think of it as the most American of all dinosaurs: this big, huge animal that was dominating its ecosystem,' Sues said. Kirk Johnson(2nd-L), Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History and Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general and chief of engineers of the US Army Corps of Engineers look into a crate containing the fossilized bones of The Nation's T. rex . Logged: 3-D scanning specialist Jonathan Blundell uses a hand-held scanner while making images of the fossilized metatarsal of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex during a preview of the dinosaur fossils . Star attraction: The seven-ton skeleton of a dinosaur that may have been an opportunistic eater rather than a stone-cold killer is to be mounted at the Smithsonian Institution in an exhibit that will open in 2019 and is expected to attract 8 million visitors a year . Bone by bone: The so-called Wankel T.rex - named after Kathy Wankel who discovered it - was about 18-years-old when it died and is considered second for extensiveness and preservation . Finders:  In 1988 Montana ranchers Kathy Wankel (L) and her husband Tom Wankel discovered the fossilized bones of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex while hiking in a rugged section of a federal wildlife refuge in eastern Montana . Scientists want to learn more about how T. rex related to other animals and what its short arms were used for. Visitors can get their first look over the next six months as curators unpack, examine and 3D scan the skeleton. But it will take five years for the museum to overhaul its dinosaur hall, with the T. rex mounted as the centerpiece of a $48 million gallery devoted to the history of life on Earth. It's slated to open in 2019. While pieces of the exhibition have been updated over time, this will be the first comprehensive reimagining of the dinosaur hall, Johnson said. 'There's so many things that have happened in science in the last 100 years that this will be a great new hall,' he said. The T. rex is on a 50-year loan from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the Smithsonian that could be extended. Washington's current 103-year-old dinosaur hall closes April 27 for renovations. A temporary dinosaur exhibit will open later this year. Happy times: From left to right, Kirk Johnson, Sant director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, poses with Montana ranchers Kathy and Tom Wankel, Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general and chief of engineers of the US Army Corps of Engineers . Quite the catch: The loan of the T.rex to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is on par with the museum's 1929 acquisition of the priceless Hope diamond . The real deal: The Smithsonian until now has only displayed a cast of a T.rex but not the real thing . Unveiling: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Director Kirk Johnson (L) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick unveil the fossilized right femur of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex during a preview at the museum April 15, 2014 in Washington, DC. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
The nearly-complete dinosaur fossil was discovered in 1988 in Montana .
T. Rex will be the centerpiece of the museum's new 31,000-square-foot fossil hall, which will open in 2019 .
For the first time since its dinosaur hall opened in 1911, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History will have a T. rex skeleton .
By . Associated Press . More than 100 years after dinosaurs were first displayed on the National Mall, T. Rex - the king - is joining the Smithsonian collection after a 2,000-mile journey from Montana. Paleontologists and curators unveiled parts of a nearly complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton Tuesday, including its jaw with teeth as big as bananas, at the National Museum of Natural History. FedEx delivered the dinosaur bones in a special truck carrying 16 carefully packed crates that were kept at room temperature for the four-day trip. Scroll down for video . Unveiling: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Director Kirk Johnson, left, and Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general of the Army Corps of Engineers, unveil the fossilized bones of a Tyrannosaurus rex during a ceremony at the museum in Washington . Long trip: The Tyrannosaurus rex is joining the dinosaur fossil collection on the National Mall on Tuesday after a more than 2,000-mile journey from Montana . Quite the find: The original fossilized bones of this T. rex arrived at the museum Tuesday and will be reassembled for display . Fossils:  In 1988 the Wankels discovered the fossilized bones while hiking in a rugged section of a federal wildlife refuge in eastern Montana. Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest land carnivores of all time . Boxed-in: A crate containing the fossilized jaw bone of The Nation's T. rex The crate, is one of 16, containing the remains of The Nations T. rex, . A large leg bone and the T. rex teeth . drew 'ahs' as Museum Director Kirk Johnson told a crowd that the . skeleton ranks as one of the top five T. rex skeletons discovered . because it's about 85 percent complete. 'It lay in the ground much as it had died on the shores of a stream in Montana just over 66 million years ago,' Johnson said. It was discovered in 1988 on federal land in Montana and is one of about half a dozen nearly complete T. rex skeletons that have been uncovered. The prize fossils have been tough to acquire. The Smithsonian set out to buy one at auction in 1997 but was outbid for that T. rex named Sue. She went to Chicago's Field Museum for $7.6 million. Almost 30 years:  The dineosaur was discovered by a Montana rancher near Fort Peck Reservoir in 1988 which is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Nations T. rex is on loan to the Natural History Museum for 50 years . Delicate: The fossilized bones of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex are encased in plaster and held in padded crates after being shipped from Montana . Monumental: For the first time since its dinosaur hall opened in 1911, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History will have a nearly complete T. rex skeleton . Special delivery: FedEx is delivering the dinosaur bones in a truck carrying 16 carefully packed crates . Enormous: Montana State University Administrative Director of Palentology Pat Leiggi rests his hands on the fossilized right femur of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex . Large: Formerly known as the Wankel T. rex, the nearly-complete dinosaur fossil was discovered in 1988 in eastern Montana and will be the centerpiece of the museum's new 31,000-square-foot fossil hall, which will open in 2019 . Now the Smithsonian's specimen could become the most prominent with its new home in one of the world's most-visited museums. About 7 million people visit the natural history museum each year, and it offers free admission. Kathy Wankel, a Montana rancher who discovered the bones in 1998 during a camping trip, said she initially spotted about 3 inches of bone sticking out of the ground and dug out a small arm bone. She said she's proud to see the fossil in a national museum. 'We were so thrilled we had found a bone; we called that a mega find,' she said at the museum. 'But I think now this is a mega find.' Paleontologists from the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Mont., excavated the fossil, and it's been housed there for the past 25 years. At the Smithsonian, the skeleton will be mounted upright for the first time. Many people think of the T. rex as the ultimate dinosaur, and it's the first thing they want to see, paleontology curator Hans Sues said. Its name is a combination of Greek and Latin meaning "king of the tyrant lizards," and it was one of the largest predators to live on land. 'In some ways, I think of it as the most American of all dinosaurs: this big, huge animal that was dominating its ecosystem,' Sues said. Kirk Johnson(2nd-L), Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History and Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general and chief of engineers of the US Army Corps of Engineers look into a crate containing the fossilized bones of The Nation's T. rex . Logged: 3-D scanning specialist Jonathan Blundell uses a hand-held scanner while making images of the fossilized metatarsal of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex during a preview of the dinosaur fossils . Star attraction: The seven-ton skeleton of a dinosaur that may have been an opportunistic eater rather than a stone-cold killer is to be mounted at the Smithsonian Institution in an exhibit that will open in 2019 and is expected to attract 8 million visitors a year . Bone by bone: The so-called Wankel T.rex - named after Kathy Wankel who discovered it - was about 18-years-old when it died and is considered second for extensiveness and preservation . Finders:  In 1988 Montana ranchers Kathy Wankel (L) and her husband Tom Wankel discovered the fossilized bones of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex while hiking in a rugged section of a federal wildlife refuge in eastern Montana . Scientists want to learn more about how T. rex related to other animals and what its short arms were used for. Visitors can get their first look over the next six months as curators unpack, examine and 3D scan the skeleton. But it will take five years for the museum to overhaul its dinosaur hall, with the T. rex mounted as the centerpiece of a $48 million gallery devoted to the history of life on Earth. It's slated to open in 2019. While pieces of the exhibition have been updated over time, this will be the first comprehensive reimagining of the dinosaur hall, Johnson said. 'There's so many things that have happened in science in the last 100 years that this will be a great new hall,' he said. The T. rex is on a 50-year loan from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the Smithsonian that could be extended. Washington's current 103-year-old dinosaur hall closes April 27 for renovations. A temporary dinosaur exhibit will open later this year. Happy times: From left to right, Kirk Johnson, Sant director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, poses with Montana ranchers Kathy and Tom Wankel, Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general and chief of engineers of the US Army Corps of Engineers . Quite the catch: The loan of the T.rex to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is on par with the museum's 1929 acquisition of the priceless Hope diamond . The real deal: The Smithsonian until now has only displayed a cast of a T.rex but not the real thing . Unveiling: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Director Kirk Johnson (L) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick unveil the fossilized right femur of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex during a preview at the museum April 15, 2014 in Washington, DC. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
time since its dinosaur hall opened in 1911, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History will have a nearly complete T. rex skeleton . fossil was discovered in 1988 in eastern Montana and will be the centerpiece of the museum's new 31,000-square-foot fossil hall, which will open