New York: The first Gorgosaurus dinosaur skeleton to go under the hammer sold for $6.1 million at auction in New York on Thursday, Sotheby’s said.
The specimen is 10 feet tall (three meters) and 22 feet tall, and was expected to fetch between $5 million and $8 million.
“The result makes Gorgosaurus one of the most valuable dinosaurs ever sold at auction, and sets a new benchmark for Gorgosaurus skeletons,” Sotheby’s said in a statement.
Gorgosaurus roamed the earth about 77 million years ago.
A typical adult weighs about two tons, slightly smaller than its famous relative, the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Biologists say it was sharper and faster than the T-Rex, with a stronger bite of about 42,000 newtons compared to 35,000.
The skeleton was discovered in 2018 in the Judith River Formation near Havre in the US state of Montana.
The sale marked the first time Sotheby’s had auctioned a complete dinosaur skeleton since Sotheby’s sold Sue the T. rex for $8.36 million in 1997.
“Today’s Gorgosaurus came up for auction without a name, giving the buyer a unique opportunity to name the dinosaur,” Sotheby’s said.
Sotheby’s did not disclose the buyer.
Unlike other countries, the United States does not prohibit the sale or export of fossils, meaning the skeleton may end up overseas.