By ALLAN HALL

Sensational: Experts have hailed the discovery of the dinosaur as the 'best of its kind' in Europe

The 'best ever' remains of a predator dinosaur have been unearthed in Germany with 98 per cent of its skeleton intact.

The discovery of the dinosaur, nicknamed Otto by paleontologists in Bavaria, is being hailed as a sensation, and the German government has already decreed it cannot leave the country.

The Theropod - 'beast-footed' - dinosaur is of the same family as the T-Rex but the individual found in Kelheim has not yet been categorised.


Unearthed: Scientists uncovering the remains of the dinosaur thought to be a relative of the modern-day whale

Otto is 28 inches long and a juvenile. Hair and traces of skin have also been found on the skeleton.

The creature lived 135 million years ago and is being exhibited to the public for the first time on October 27 for four days at a special dinosaur exhibition in Munich.



Revealed: Part of the fascinating fossil remains is unearthed in a discovery that scientists have described as one of the finest specimens of its kind

'It is a truly outstanding find,' said Oliver Rauhut, curator at the Bavarian National Collection for Paleontology and Geology where the find was announced today.
'It is the best of its kind ever found in Europe.'

Most examples of killer-dinosaurs like theT-Rex yield up a maximum of 80 per cent of their skeletons.

But Rauhut said that it is 'remarkable' to find 98 percent of the creature after so long, with all the changes that the earth has undergone.

The German government was persuaded to make Otto 'German Cultural Property', which means the skeleton cannot be sold abroad where on the open market it could be worth millions to fossil hunters.

source: dailymail