Posted on 07/05/2022 1:39:50 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The fossilized skeleton of a T. rex relative that roamed the earth about 76 million years ago will be auctioned in New York this month, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday.
The Gorgosaurus skeleton will highlight Sotheby’s natural history auction on July 28, the auction house said.
The Gorgosaurus was an apex carnivore that lived in what is now the western United States and Canada during the late Cretaceous Period. It predated its relative the Tyrannosaurus rex by 10 million years.
The specimen being sold was discovered in 2018 in the Judith River Formation near Havre, Montana, Sotheby’s said. It measures nearly 10 feet (3 meters) tall and 22 (6.7 meters) feet long.
All of the other known Gorgosaurus skeletons are in museum collections, making this one the only specimen available for private ownership, the auction house said.
“In my career, I have had the privilege of handling and selling many exceptional and unique objects, but few have the capacity to inspire wonder and capture imaginations quite like this unbelievable Gorgosaurus skeleton,” Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture, said.
Sotheby’s presale estimate for the fossil is $5 million to $8 million.
Gorgosaurus was just a little guy.
His cousin Tyrannosaurus measured 17 ft. tall and 40 ft. long.
I’d love to have one.
Someone needs to 3D print these skeletons and sell them.
I loved that bit!
Thanks for posting it! 🤣
Just checked with hubby.
He says I can’t have it because we’ve got too many old fossils around here already!
🥺
I once saw a little dead bird who died in a very sheltered spot. I watched it for months as it decomposed and the skeleton was laid bare. It was so delicate and beautiful, I wanted to buy a model - but they’re EXPENSIVE!
Yes, I wonder about people who buy fine, historical art and don’t share it - are they able to care for it properly? Will their heirs care about it?
I admire people like Getty and the Hearst family, for starting great museums.
LOL...It’s hard to believe those things existed isn’t it, they were like land sharks
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