A person looks at a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, named ‘Maximus’, on display at Sotheby’s (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
The almost complete skull of a full-grown Tyrannosaurus rex is going up for sale in New York next month.
Described as the ‘ultimate trophy’ the prehistoric artifact is expected to sell for around $15 million (£13 million), according to the experts at Sotheby’s.
The 200-pound (91-kilo) fossil, nicknamed Maximus, is being sold on the 9th of December by an owner who wishes to remain anonymous.
The skull was excavated in 2020 and 2021 in Harding County, South Dakota, where other T-rex skeletons have previously been found.
Cassandra Hatton, the head of science and popular culture at Sotheby’s called the area ‘the world capital for T-rexes.’
Cassandra Hatton points at two large puncture holes likely from a fight with another dinosaur that can be seen on the skull (Credits: AP)
One of the most fearsome predators in the history of the planet, Tyrannosaurus rex roamed the Earth 66 million years ago.
Most of the rest of one’s remains were destroyed over time by erosion, but Sotheby’s experts said the skull was a major find.
Hatton noted: ‘When you think about it, more people can fit a skull in their home than people who could fit a full dinosaur.’
The 6 1/2-foot (2-meter) fossil is about 76 million years old (Credits: AP)
The 6 1/2-foot (2-meter) fossil is about 76 million years old and still has most of the external skull bones and numerous teeth, Sotheby’s said.
Hatton said two large puncture holes in the skull are evidence of a big fight, probably with another T-rex.
‘We don’t know that this is what caused the death of this animal, but we can tell that it did have a major battle during its lifetime,’ she said.
The skull is expected to sell for $15 million (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Marks on the skull are interesting to study ‘because they give us an idea about what life was like during the Cretaceous period,’ Hatton said.
A 3D rendering of what a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and its young one, might have looked like 66 million years ago (Credits: Shutterstock / Herschel Hoffmeyer)
This specimen may not be headed to a research institution, though.
‘It’s the ultimate trophy,’ Hatton said. ‘To place in one’s home.’
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It’s been described as the ‘ultimate trophy’.
