Rare Gorgosaurus Skeleton Hits Auction For The First Time

Topline

A full skeleton of a Gorgosaurus—a close relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex—could sell for as much as $8 million when it hits the auction block this month, marking the first time the massive dinosaur species has ever been available for private collectors to purchase, according to Sotheby’s.

The Gorgosaurus skeleton is expected to sell for between $5 million and $8 million at auction this … [+] month, Sotheby’s said.

Sotheby’s

Key Facts

Measuring nearly 10 feet tall and 22 feet long, the well-preserved Gorgosaurus specimen was mature at the time of its death roughly 70 million years ago, and resembles a smaller-scale version of its Tyrannosaurus rex relative, whom it predated by about 10 million years, Sotheby’s said.

The specimen was discovered in Montana in 2018 and is one of only a handful of Gorgosaurus skeletons to ever be found in the U.S., as most remains have been discovered in Canada, according to Sotheby’s.

The Gorgosaurus is the only skeleton of its kind available for purchase by a private collector, the auction house said, with all others being held in institutional collections like museums and universities.

The skeleton is expected to fetch as much as $8 million when it goes to auction July 28 in New York, where it will be on display at Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries for the week leading up to the sale.

Tangent

The Gorgosaurus was a member of the Tyrannosaurid family, whose name translates as “fierce” or “terrifying” lizard, Sotheby’s said. The dinosaur lived in the western part of North America roughly 77 million years ago. The average adult male Gorgosaurus could weigh up to 4,000 pounds, and paleontologists believe they were even faster and more vicious than the Tyrannosaurus rex. Researchers believe the Gorgosaurus had a stronger bite than any animal on Earth today, according to Sotheby’s.

Key Background

Dinosaur skeletons have commanded million-dollar figures at auction over the past few years. A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed “Stan” sold for $31.8 million in 2020 to become the most expensive dinosaur bones ever sold at auction. In May, a skeleton of a deinonychus–the dinosaur that inspired the velociraptors heavily featured in the Jurassic Park franchise–sold at Christie’s for $12.4 million. Despite their popularity at auctions, selling dinosaur skeletons on the private market is controversial and dinosaur experts widely condemn the practice, saying it fuels stealing and looting of bones and prevents researchers from being able to study the specimens.

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