These fossils brought a fortune.
The first-ever dinosaur skeleton was auctioned at Sotheby’s Live Natural History auction in New York on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
A 77-million-year-old fossil belonging to a gorgosaurus was sold for $6.1 million to an unknown buyer.
The bidder also won the right to name the dinosaur skeleton.
Sotheby’s noted in a press release that the Gorgosaurus skeleton is one of the most valuable dinosaurs ever sold.
This Gorgosaurus was the first to appear at auction, and is one of only 20 known to exist.
The dinosaur, belonging to the Tyrannosaurus family, measured nearly 10 feet tall and 22 feet long.
The predator reigned during the Late Cretaceous period, native to the area now known as western North America, according to Sotheby’s.
These fossils were discovered in the Judith River Formation near Havre, Montana in 2018, a rare find south of the Canadian border.
The skeleton was sold for $6.1 million. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA via AP
Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture Cassandra Hatton said in a statement ahead of the auction that the prehistoric relic was an inspiration.
“I have had the privilege of handling and selling many exceptional and unique items,” she said.
“But few have the ability to inspire wonder and capture the imagination like this incredible Gorgosaurus skeleton.”
But scientists and dinosaur experts aren’t so optimistic about the historical exchange.
Although the sale of the dinosaur appears to be legal, Carthage College paleontologist Thomas Carr expressed in an interview with The New York Times that he was “disgusted” by the lack of attention to the paucity of fossils available to the public.
“I am completely disgusted, disturbed and disappointed because of the enormous damage that the loss of these specimens will do to science,” he told the publication. “It’s a disaster.”
Only 20 of the rare dino skeletons are known to exist. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA via AP
The expert pointed out that there are about 50 T. Rex specimens — from whole skeletons to individual bones — in a public trust for research access, while the same number are held privately.
The number of Gorgosaurus specimens available for study is even smaller.
“The value of the dinosaurs is not the price that anyone will pay,” he said.
“That’s the information they contain.”
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