The fossilized skeleton of a T. rex relative that roamed the earth about 76 million years ago will be auctioned off in New York this month, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday.
The Gorgosaurus skeleton will highlight the Sotheby’s natural history auction on July 28, the auction house said.
The Gorgosaurus was a carnivorous apex that lived in the western United States and Canada during the Late Cretaceous period. It was predecessor to its relative the Tyrannosaurus rex in 10 million years.
The specimen being sold was discovered in 2018 at the Judith River Formation near Le Havre, Montana, Sotheby’s said. It measures almost 10 feet (3 meters) high and 22 (6.7 meters) long.
All other known Gorgosaurus skeletons are in museum collections, making this the only specimen available for private ownership, the auction house said.
A Gorgosaurus dinosaur skeleton, the first to be offered at auction, at Sotheby’s New York.AP Photo / Julia Nikhinson A Sotheby’s New York employee demonstrates the size of a Gorgosaurus dinosaur skeleton, the first to be offered at an auction.AP Photo / Julia Nikhinson
“In my career, I have had the privilege of manipulating and selling many exceptional and unique objects, but few have the ability to inspire wonders and capture imaginations like this amazing Gorgosaurus skeleton,” Cassandra Hatton, global head of popular science and culture of Sotheby’s. , dit.
Sotheby’s presale estimate for the fossil is $ 5 to $ 8 million.