Scotty the T-rex to tour Japan

Saskatchewan's Tyrannosaurus Rex will soon be heading to Japan.

A crew from Regina's Royal Saskatchewan Museum is painstakingly packing up some original fossils and bones from "Scotty" the T-rex, plus a replica of the dinosaur's skull.

The dinosaur, found near Eastend in 1991, rates among the top ten T-rex finds in the world. It's expected to find an appreciative audience overseas.

"There's an incredible interest in fossils in Japan," said Dr. Harold Bryant, the museum's earth sciences curator. "They don't have a lot...especially dinosaurs."

Staff from Saskatchewan will accompany the T-rex to Japan to help unload the items and prepare them for exhibit.

The original bones will return from Tokyo in July, while the replica skull will spend an entire year traveling the country.