NEW YORK – The fossilized skeleton of a relative of the tyrannosaurus rex that roamed the earth some 76 million years ago is going up for auction in New York this month, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday.
The Gorgosaurus skeleton will be highlighted at Sotheby’s natural history auction on July 28, the auction house said.
Gorgosaurus was an apex carnivore that lived in what is now the western United States and Canada during the late Cretaceous Period. It preceded its relative Tyrannosaurus rex by 10 million years.
The specimen for sale was discovered in 2018 in the Judith River Formation near Havre, Montana, Sotheby’s said. It is almost 10 feet (3 meters) tall 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.
“In my career, I have had the privilege of handling and selling many rare and unique objects, but few have the ability to inspire awe and capture the imagination like this incredible Gorgosaurus skeleton,” Cassandra Hatton, global director of science and popular culture at Sotheby’s. , she said.
Sotheby’s presale estimate for the fossil is $5 million to $8 million.
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