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A Ceratosaurus -Fossil, which is known one of only four, sold at an auction for $ 30.5 million.
The rare dinosaur -fossil is “one of the best and most complete examples of its kind that has ever been found,” said the Sotheby’s auction house in a statement published on Wednesday.
The specimen that is the only youthful Ceratosaurus fossil for four years sold after a six-minute struggle between six different bidders for several $ 4 million in Sotheby’s New York.
A close look at the head of the fossil – Matthew Sherman –
Ceratosaurus Nasicornis was a carnivorous predator with a nose horn, long teeth and bony armor, drove down the back and tail.
This youthful Fossil, which consist of six feet, 1.9 meters high and about 10 feet, eight inches long, 3.25 meters long, of 139 bone elements, 57 of which, according to Sotheby’s, make “an excellent practically complete skull”.
It was found in the Bone Cabin Quarry in Wyoming in 1996 and dates from the late Jura period around 150 million years ago.
The fossil was exhibited from 2000 to 2024 in the Museum of Alt Life in Thanksgiving Point, Utah, and was not formally examined or formally described in a scientific magazine, said Sotheby’s.
An X -ray of the Ceratosaurus head – Sotheby’s
“The buyer of Ceratosaurus intends to lend it to an institution, as well as a copy of this rarity and meaning,” said the auction house.
In the same sale, a meteorite that is the largest known piece of Mars on Earth was sold for 5.3 million US dollars.
“These outstanding results underline a deep and permanent fascination and respect for the natural world-from the most widespread space to the old depths of the earth. What attracts collectors is more than just a passion for science. It is a deeply sitting curiosity about the forces that have shaped our planet, and also” Cassandra, Global Head of Natural Sciences, the natural history and the natural history and the natural history Statement that is in the statement, in the statement, in the statement, in the statement.
A person is depicted next to the fossil. – Matthew Sherman
Mark Westgarth, Professor of History of the Art Market at the University of Leeds, England, told CNN that the sale is “part of a recently resuscitation of fossils and natural history”.
For example, Sotheby’s also sold the most valuable fossil that was ever sold in the auction, Apex The Stegosaur, which achieved $ 44.6 million in July 2024.
“At the top of the market … it seems to be an increasing desire for” distinction “,” said Westgarth. “These dinosaurs also have a certain aesthetics – they are sculptural and impressive.”
For Steve Brusatte, professor of paleontology and evolution at the Scottish University of Edinburgh, this type of price tags are shocking.
“Who has this type of money for a dinosaurs? Certainly no museums or educational institutions,” he told CNN.
“Although I am pleased that the buyer could borrow the skeleton to a museum that is to be issued, it is only a vague suggestion at this time. The buyer is still anonymous,” added Brusatte.
“I am afraid that this skeleton will disappear into the villa of an oligarch or a bank vault in order to collect value as a further investment in the portfolio of a hedge fund and to see the light of the day until it is auctioned again, or maybe not at all,” he said.
“Conclusion, a world in which dinosaurs can get $ 10 million in auctions within a few minutes is not a world in which dinosaurs will be accessible for a long time to educate and inspire everyone,” added Brute.
However, Westgarth argues that there is a “symbiotic” relationship between the market and the broader research interests.
He quotes the example of Mary Anning, who discovered fossils on the south coast of England in the early 19th century and opened a successful fossil business.
“Here the market for fossils in the 19th century acted as a catalyst for research in public institutions, whereby the attention and public interest and as a catalyst for increased research activities on dinosaur fossils,” said Westgarth, who argues that the fact that the buyers of Ceratosaurus borrowed the buyers of future activity.
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