Never underestimate the allure of dinosaurs. Despite being extinct for hundreds of millions of years, these enigmatic creatures continue to captivate generations of children and adults the world over. They’re the reason why “Jurassic Park” exists let alone why the franchise keeps pumping out movies that draw in audiences time after time. The fascination with them extends to the scientific community as well, which is partly why a recent fossilized skeleton of a ceratosaurus just sold for over $30 million at auction.
The ceratosaurus may not be as big of a name as the tyrannosaurus rex, but then again it’s also not literally as big as one either. In some ways it’s comparable to the larger species and a fierce looking carnivore, just maxing out at around 25 feet long as opposed to the T.rex being about 40 feet long. This specimen is an incredibly unique juvenile skeleton, said to be the only one in existence. The skeleton is very well preserved and assembled and comes in at around six feet tall and 11 feet long.
“This superb specimen has been meticulously prepared,” Sotheby’s auctioneer Phyllis Kao said. “One of the most important and rarest fossils ever to come to market.”
The initial bidding range was estimated to be around $4 to $6 million. That amount was surpassed several times over with the final price coming to $30.5 million. The identity of the buyer was not immediately revealed. but they’re now the proud owners of a ready to exhibit ceratosaurus. The previous owner, a paleontology company called Fossilogic, had purchased from a Utah based museum in the city of Lehi.
James Kirkland, a state paleontologist in Utah remains hopeful whoever purchased the fossilized remains will put some of that money, or the skeleton back into the scientific community. “You know, if you gave our program 26 million dollars, we’d get you dozens of dinosaurs,” Kirkland said. “Not dozens of skeletons – dozens of totally unnamed dinosaurs.”
