The largest Triceratops skeleton in the world is on sale

by

Written by Amy Woodyatt, CNN

The skeleton of a giant 66-million-year-old Triceratops fossil could soon belong to a lucky fan of dinosaurs, that is, if estimated at 1.2 million euros ($ 1.4 million). ).

The specimen, called Big John, has a skull 2.62 meters (8 feet 7 inches) long and 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) wide, while its two largest horns are 1.1 meters (3 feet 7 inches) long and more than 30 inches wide at its base, capable of withstanding 16 tons of pressure, according to auctioneers Binoche and Giquello.

The dinosaur lived in Laramidia, an island continent that stretched from present-day Alaska to Mexico, and died on an ancient floodplain now known as the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota, where it was discovered by geologist Walter. W. Stein Bill in May 2014 The dinosaur was excavated a year later and later restored in Italy, the company said in a statement.

The remains of the creature were preserved in the mud and the skeleton is completed with more than 60% and a complete skull of 75%. Big John, however, has the wounds of a difficult life, with a laceration to his neck from an altercation with a smaller triceratops, which auctioneers said was called territorial defense or a partner’s courtship.

The skull of Triceratops is one of the largest and “most striking” animals of all terrestrial animals, with three horns, a parrot-like beak and a “flywheel” that could span nearly 1 meter to protect the neck or attract a mate. . the Natural History Museum of the United Kingdom.

Herbivorous animals could reach up to 5,500 kilograms (866 stones) and 9 meters (29 feet) in length.

At 8 feet, Big John is the largest Triceratops specimen ever found, auctioneers said.

The skeleton of Triceratops is 66 million years old.

The skeleton of Triceratops is 66 million years old. Credit: Courtesy of Giquello

Creatures traveled the Earth during the Late Cretaceous period, about 68-66 million years ago, in what is now the United States.

Big John is expected to get between 1.2 million euros ($ 1.4 million) and 1.5 million euros ($ 1.7 million) at an auction on October 21 at home of Drouot auctions in Paris.

It’s not the first time a dinosaur skeleton has gone on sale.

The sale of one of the world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons destroyed auction estimates last year, when it sold for $ 31.8 million, it set a new world record for any dinosaur skeleton or fossil ever sold at auction.
However, these sales have raised concerns on the part of paleontologists in the past. In September last year, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP), which represents more than 2,000 professionals and students, wrote at Christie’s auction house about the Stan skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus rex, Stan, which went under the hammer.

The vice president said: “Fossil specimens sold in private hands are potentially lost to science.” The organization added: “Even if it is made accessible to scientists, the information contained in privately owned copies and future access cannot be guaranteed and therefore verification of scientific claims cannot be made (the essence of scientific progress) “.

.Source