Written by Ken NG
Dinosaur fossils reappear at auction. Sotheby's upcoming "Natural History" auction in New York brings the only complete dinosaur bone fossil from the private market, estimated at US$5 million - 8 million (RMB34 million - 54 million).
Gorgosaurus (or Serpent-haired Female Monster Dragon) is one of the dinosaurs of the family Tyrannosaurus, a bipedal, carnivorous dinosaur. The Devil Dragon lived in the Late Cretaceous Period, about 77 million years ago, and was more than T. Rex ( T . Rex) was 10 million years old and can be said to be the ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex, and it was smaller than it was.
The party set up the dinosaur bones piece by piece to reshape the posture of the devil dragon
Gorgosaurus fossil
Estimate: US$5,000,000 - 8,000,000
The name Devil Dragon comes from Gorgosaurus, where the etymology of "gorgos" comes from the Greek myth of the snake-haired female monster Gorgon, which can be extended to mean "terrible" or "scary", so it translates to devil dragon, snake-haired female demon dragon or Gorgon dragon.
Although the size of the devil dragon is difficult to compare with the Tyrannosaurus rex, paleontologists believe that its movements are faster and even more ferocious than those of the Tyrannosaurus rex. Devil dragons have many large, sharp teeth, and another feature is that the forelimbs are quite small, with two fingers. Experts are quoted as saying that the devil dragon has more bite power than any modern bird of prey. The average adult male devil dragon weighs 4,000 pounds.
The fossil of the devil dragon held by Sotheby's, found in the Judith River Formation near Havre, Montana, in 2018, is an adult devil dragon with a height of 3 meters and a length of 6.7 meters.
Devil Dragon Diagram
The devil dragon fossils auctioned this time
The surviving fossils of the Devil Dragon are all collected by institutions such as museums or universities. For example, the Royal Tyrell Museum, known as the Canadian Dinosaur Museum, the British Museum of Natural History, and the National Gwacheon Science Museum, Korea. In other words, the only fossil of a devil dragon that fell into the private market was photographed at Sotheby's this time.
Historically, the fossils of devil dragons have been found in Montana, USA, or Alberta, Canada. In fact, the northwestern part of the American continent was originally a subtropical island called Laramidia during the Cretaceous period. Taken in the modern geographical sense, the strip extends from alaska in the north to Mexico in the south. In the past 100 years, dinosaur bone fossils have been found in this area many times.
Fossils of a devil dragon in the collection of the Royal Tyrell Museum of Canada
A fossil of a devil dragon in the collection of the Gwacheon Science Museum in South Korea
In recent years, the complete dinosaur fossils that have appeared at auction have been sold at a price far beyond the estimated price range.
For example, in 2020, the Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil known as Stan was raised at Christie's in New York, estimated at US$6 million - 8 million, and finally changed hands for US$31.84 million (RMB 216 million) with an estimated price of more than 5 times the estimated price, writing the auction record of dinosaur bone fossils.
Later, some media revealed that "Stan" was shipped to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The Abu Dhabi Ministry of Culture and Tourism has since confirmed that the Tyrannosaurus rex fossil will be on display at the Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum, which opens in 2025.
Tyrannosaurus rex fossil Stan | Christie's new York in October 2020 Price: US$31,847,500
Dinosaur Fossil | May 2022 New York Christie's Price: US$12,412,500
By May 2022, a dinosaur fossil changed hands at Christie's in New York for US$12.41 million (RMB84 million), well beyond the US$4 million - 6 million valuation range.
Can the fossil of the Devil Dragon, which was hammered at Sotheby's, be sold at a price that exceeded expectations? We'll see.
Auction details
Auction house: Sotheby's New York
Session: Natural History
Auction Date: 2022/7/28|10am (New York Time)