A skeleton of one of history's most ferocious predators sold at auction for just over $6 million to an unknown buyer on Thursday.
People walk around a Gorgosaurus Skeleton on display during a press preview at Sotheby's on July 5, 2022 in New York City.A skeleton of one of history's most ferocious predators sold at auction for just over $6 million to an unknown buyer on Thursday.
Sotheby's had announced earlier this month that a fossilized Gorgosaurus, a relative of Tyrannosaurus rex, was set to be the highlight of a Natural History auction in New York.The specimen was expected to fetch anywhere from $5 million to $8 million in the auction house's presale estimates.People walk around a Gorgosaurus Skeleton on display during a press preview at Sotheby's on July 5, 2022 in New York City.
Although smaller in size compared to his Tyrannosaurus rex relatives, the Gorgosaurus was faster and had a stronger bite force, according to scientists.The fossil is 76 million years old and is nearly 10 feet tall and 22 feet long. The skull alone is just over 3 feet long. The complete skeleton includes 79 separate pieces.
It was discovered on private land in 2018 in the Judith River Formation near Havre, Montana, according to the auction house.