NEW YORK – A Tyrannosaurus Rex skull found in South Dakota is expected to sell for $ 15 million or more at auction in New York next month, Sotheby’s officials said Tuesday.
The 200-pound (91-kilogram) fossil skull, nicknamed Maximus, will be sold on December 9 by an owner who wishes to remain anonymous, the auction house said.
The skull was excavated in 2020 and 2021 in Harding County, South Dakota, where other T. rex skeletons including Sue and Stan were found, according to Cassandra Hatton, director of science and popular culture at Sotheby’s. You called the area “the tyrannosaurus rex capital of the world”.
Most of the rest of these T. rex remains have been destroyed over time by erosion, but Sotheby’s experts said the skull was an important find. Hatton noted, “If you think about it, more people can house a skull in their home than people can house an entire dinosaur.”
The 6.5-foot (2-meter) fossil is about 76 million years old and still has most of the outer skull bones and numerous teeth, Sotheby’s experts said.
Hatton said two large holes in the skull are evidence of a major fight, likely with another tyrannosaurus rex. “We don’t know if that was what caused this animal’s death, but we can tell it had a big fight in his life,” she said.
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The markings on the skull are interesting to study “because they give us an idea of what life was like during the Cretaceous,” Hatton said.
However, this specimen may not be directed to a research institution. “It’s the ultimate trophy,” Hatton said. “To put in the house.”
