[Rockhounds] Gorgosaurus: Ancient dinosaur skeleton sells for $6m at auction

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

*A rare ancient dinosaur skeleton has been sold in the US to an unknown
buyer for just over $6m (£5m).*

It was offered up by Sotheby's and sold at the firm's natural history
auction in New York City on Thursday.

The fossil is that of a Gorgosaurus - a distant relative of the infamous
and deadly Tyrannosaurus rex - that was discovered in 2018.

The anonymous buyer will have the unique opportunity to bestow a nickname
on the one-time apex predator.

The sale is the second-ever of a fossilised dinosaur skeleton auctioned by
Sotheby's. The first, a T-rex nicknamed Sue, was sold to Chicago's Field
Museum in 1997 for $8.36m.

The Gorgosaurus was expected to attract bids of up to $8m.

It is the only specimen of its kind to be offered up for private ownership.
There are only 20 fossils like it known to exist around the world.

The Gorgosaurus roamed the Earth about 77 million years ago and, like the
T-rex, it had a large head, a mouth full of curved serrated teeth, and
small two-fingered front limbs.

Though smaller than its cousin dinosaur, it was faster, fiercer and packed
a stronger bite, optimised for "cutting into thick skin and penetrating
deep into the flesh of their prey", according to Sotheby's.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62339887