The ancient skeleton of a Gorgosaurus went up for auction for the first time today and sold for just over $6 million. Whoever bought it -- which is currently unknown -- now also has the unusual opportunity to name it.
About 77 million years old, the Gorgosaurus is a relative of the deadly Tyrannosaurus rex, but faster and with a stronger bite force, according to Sotheby's, the sale organizer. Sotheby's offered the Gorgosaurus as a highlight in its Natural History auction that began today at 10:00 a.m. ET. The rare fossil was expected to attract bids of up to $8 million, according to the auction house.
The fossil was discovered in 2018 on private land in the Judith River Formation, in Montana's Choteau County, and has 79 bone elements, according to Sotheby's. All other known Gorgosaurus skeletons are in museum collections, making this one the only specimen of its kind offered for private ownership -- which some scientists consider problematic for scientific study.
