World’s largest Triceratops skeleton to be auctioned

(CNN) – The skeleton of a 66-million-year-old giant Triceratops fossil could soon belong to one lucky dinosaur enthusiast – that is, as long as you have an estimated 1.2 million euros ($ 1.4 million) in your wallet. ).

The specimen, nicknamed Big John, has a skull 2.62 meters long and 2 meters wide, while its two largest horns are 1.1 meters long and more than 30 centimeters wide at their base. It is capable of withstanding 16 tons of pressure, according to auctioneers Binoche et Giquello.

The dinosaur lived on Laramidia, a mainland island that stretched from present-day Alaska to Mexico, and died in 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 more than 60% complete and with a 75% complete skull. However, Big John has wounds from a difficult life, with a neck laceration from an altercation with a smaller triceratops, which auctioneers said was due to territorial defense or courtship by a couple.

With three horns, a parrot-like beak and a “collar” that could span almost 1 meter used to protect the neck or attract a mate, the Triceratops skull is one of the largest and “most striking” of any animal. land, according to him Natural History Museum of the United Kingdom.

Herbivorous animals could reach up to 5,500 kilograms and 9 meters in length.

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

The creatures roamed the Earth during the late Cretaceous period, some 68-66 million years ago in what is now the United States.

Big John is expected to be sold for between 1.2 million euros (US $ 1.4 million) and 1.5 million euros (US $ 1.7 million) in an auction to be held. on October 21 at the Drouot auction house in Paris.

This is not the first time a dinosaur skeleton has gone on sale.

The sale of one of the world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons broke auction estimates last year, when it sold for $ 31.8 million, setting a new world record for any dinosaur skeleton or fossil sold at auction. .

However, these sales have raised concerns from paleontologists in the past. In September of last year, the Society for Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP), which represents more than 2,000 professionals and students, wrote to Christie’s auction house about the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus rex that was auctioned.

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