New York, United States

Sotheby's, which is one of the world's largest brokers of collectibles, announced on Thursday that the first skeleton of a Gorgosaurus dinosaur to go under the hammer sold for $6.1 million at an auction in New York.

Advertisment

The specimen, which was expected to fetch between $5 million and $8 million, is 22 feet long and 10 feet tall (three meters).

After the auction, Sotheby's said in a statement that "The result places the Gorgosaurus among the most valuable dinosaurs ever sold at auction, and establishes a new benchmark for a Gorgosaurus skeleton."

Gorgosaurus, which is a distant relative of the infamous and deadly Tyrannosaurus rex, had small two-fingered front limbs, a mouth full of curved serrated teeth, and a large head.

Advertisment

Also read | Meraxes gigas: Scientists discover new giant dinosaur predator with tiny arms

With a stronger bite of around 42,000 newtons, paleontologists say it was fiercer and faster than the T-Rex.

The skeleton, which was discovered in Montana four years ago, can end up overseas as the United States does not restrict the sale or export of fossils.

Advertisment

According to Sotheby's, "Today's Gorgosaurus came to auction without a name, providing the buyer the exclusive opportunity to name the dinosaur."

Found approximately 77 million years ago, Gorgosaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period. 

Since it sold Sue the T-Rex in 1997 for $8.36 million, the sale marked the first time that Sotheby's had auctioned a full dinosaur skeleton.

(With inputs from agencies)

Watch WION's live TV here:

×