This member of the Tyrannosaurid family roamed the Earth about 77 million years ago and was an apex carnivore that established in the western part of the United States and Canada during the late Cretaceous period. Because of its T-Rex genes, it has similar features, including a massive head with dozens of sharply curved teeth and two small forelimbs. However, it was faster than the T-Rex and had stronger bite force, according to Sotheby’s.
“As the main hunter at the time, which was believed to have hunted in groups of four, the Gorgosaurus was a dominant force and a unique predator,” Sotheby’s said.
The massive fossil, measuring 10 feet high and 22 feet long, was discovered in 2018 near Haver, Montana, according to Sotheby’s. All known skeletons of Gorgosaurus are in the museum’s collections, making it the only specimen to be offered for private ownership.
“In my career, I have had the privilege of handling and selling many extraordinary and unique things, but few have the potential to inspire wonder and capture imagination quite like this amazing Gorgosaurus skeleton,” Cassandra Hutton, Sotheby’s Head of Science and Pop Culture, said in a press release. Excavated only a few years ago, Gorgosaurus has never before been auctioned, and the opportunity to share this dinosaur with the public for the first time is an immense pleasure and a highlight of my career.
This is Sotheby’s second sale of a fossilized dinosaur skeleton. In 1997, auction house Sue, one of the largest dinosaur fossils in history, sold for $8.36 million. This sale broke a record for the most expensive fossil ever to be auctioned.
Dinosaur fans can visit the Gorgosaurus skeleton starting July 21 in Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries. Auction starts July 28.
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