Jurassic giant: World’s most complete T-Rex fossil could sell for $30 million at auction
According to Sotheby’s, the world’s premier destination for purchasing art and luxury, it has estimated that the T. Rex is worth around $20 to $30 million, the highest ever placed on a dinosaur.
FILE: Dinosaur fossil revealed after heavy rains in Brazil
Erosion caused by heavy rains uncovered an
One of the world’s largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils could be sold for millions of dollars at an auction next month.
According to Sotheby’s, the world’s premier destination for purchasing art and luxury, it is estimated that the T. Rex is worth around $20 to $30 million, the highest ever placed on a dinosaur.
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The T. Rex was one of the most ferocious predators ever to walk the planet, truly dominating other creatures with its massive size and sharp teeth, ready to tear into anything it saw fit.
The size of this sort of dinosaur typically ranges from about 40 feet to the size of a school bus.
Gus the Tyrannosaurus rex being prepared for auction.
(Matthew Sherman / Sotheby's)
According to National Geographic, this dinosaur has 60 serrated teeth, each about 8 inches long, perfect for piercing and gripping flesh as the ginormous beast thrashes its prey and swallows it whole.
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Believe it or not, this dinosaur had a very good sense of smell, as scientists know that the T. Rex devoted a large part of its brain to processing smell, according to National Geographic.
The T. Rex, named Gus, is approximately 63% complete by bone count.
(Matthew Sherman/Sotheby's)
Most notably, Gus sustained noticeable injuries throughout his lifetime, with features such as fractured and healed bones in several ribs and gastralia.
"There are also a number of clear bite marks on several skull bones, including the right dentary, as well as to several postcranial elements, possibly from scavenging," Sotheby's said.
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(Matthew Sherman/Sotheby's)
The dominant predator took three years to excavate, according to Thomas Heitkamp, the discoverer of the fossil.
Gus will be installed at Sotheby’s galleries in New York in the lead-up to the official sale of the fossil on July 14.