Who Wants To Buy A 77-Million-Year-Old Gorgosaurus Skeleton?

The skeleton of a Gorgosaurus, one of the most terrifying predator dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous Period, is going up for auction at Sotheby’s New York later this month and is expected to sell for up to $8 million.

What Happened: The extant skeleton was unearthed near Havre, Montana in 2018 and measures 10 feet tall and 22 feet long. It was a member of the Tyrannosaurid family that lived in western North America roughly 77 million years ago, and scientists believe it was faster and more deadly than its famous T-Rex cousin.

CNN reported the fossil is the only Gorgosaurus skeleton that is not part of a museum collection. This is only the second time Sotheby’s has auctioned an extant dinosaur skeleton – the earlier auction was for a complete fossil of a Tyrannosaurus rex that was acquired by Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History in 1997 for $8.36 million.

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What Happens Next: Sotheby’s will make the Gorgosaurus skeleton available for viewing on July 21 at its New York City galleries, and the auction is scheduled for July 28 at 10:00 a.m. EDT.

"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 in a press statement. "Excavated only a few years ago, a Gorgosaurus has never before been offered at auction, and the opportunity of sharing this dinosaur with the public for the first time is an immense pleasure and a highlight of my career."

Photo: Screen shot from a Sotheby's promotional video of the Gorgosaurus skeleton auction

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