The skeleton of a fearsome dinosaur depicted in a terrifying scene in Jurassic Park was auctioned for $ 12.4 million.
With a height of 4 feet and a length of 10 feet, the 110-million-year-old skeleton belongs to the apex predator Deinonychus antirrhopus.
Deinonychus became one of the most recognizable dinosaurs in the world following the release of the 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park”, in which he chased children through a kitchen.
But the creature’s real name was not considered dramatic enough by the writer of the book, on which the film was based.
Instead, author Michael Crichton chose to call it a velociraptor that was actually much smaller.
Auctioneers Christie’s sold “Hector”, the world’s only privately owned Deinonychus fossil, at a prestigious auction in New York.
4 feet tall and 10 feet long, the 110-million-year-old skeleton belongs to the apex predator Deinonychus antirrhopus
Deinonychus – which means “terrible claw” – was unearthed in Wolf Canyon, Montana, USA between 2012 and 2014, where it had remained almost perfectly preserved for about 110 million years since the beginning of the Cretaceous period.
Deinonychus became one of the most recognizable dinosaurs in the world following the release of the 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park”, in which he chased children through a kitchen.
Made up of 126 fossilized bones, Hector is the largest and most complete specimen of its kind ever discovered, although part of its skeleton and most of its skull are reconstructed, the auction house said.
It sparked a fierce bidding war and dwarfed the valuer’s expectations, selling for $ 12.4 million (£ 10.2 million), more than double the auction house’s estimated high of $ 6 million.
The exceptionally rare artifact has attracted the attention of collectors around the world, as the vast majority of dinosaur fossils belong to museums.
However, the trend of high-priced fossil sales has bothered some paleontologists, who fear that specimens could be lost to science if they are bought by individuals rather than public institutions.
Already in 2020, a 40 foot T-Rex skeleton known as “Stan” broke the world record for a dinosaur four times, selling it for $ 31 million at Christie’s.
Made up of 126 fossilized bones, Hector is the largest and most complete of its kind ever discovered.
The skeleton was found by commercial paleontologist Jared Hudson and acquired by an anonymous buyer.
Deinonychus – which means “terrible claw” – was unearthed in Wolf Canyon, Montana, USA between 2012 and 2014, where it had remained almost perfectly preserved for about 110 million years since the beginning of the Cretaceous period.
It was found by commercial paleontologist Jared Hudson and acquired by an anonymous buyer.
Hector has only been exhibited once in an advertisement at the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.
James Hyslop, Christie’s specialist, said: “It was an absolute privilege to showcase a rare dinosaur species, especially one that is revered both globally and culturally.
“This iconic predator remains truly thrilling to a worldwide audience and is one of the most famous dinosaurs.
“With a handful of recorded specimens found and only two skeletons in the museum collections, the Raptor is the most complete known Deinonychus and the only privately owned specimen.”
The agile and fast Deinonychus traveled the earth between 115 and 108 million years ago, 50 million years before the T-rex.
The dinosaur belonged to a group of species called therapods, carnivorous creatures that walked on their hind legs.
The agile and fast Deinonychus traveled the earth between 115 and 108 million years ago, 50 million years before the T-rex.
They hunted in packs and used their huge hooked claws to tear down and gut their prey with a powerful kick.
The discovery of Deinonychus in 1964 triggered a shift in the scientific understanding of dinosaurs which were previously believed to be cold-blooded, lizard-like creatures.
Instead, it is now thought that they were warm-blooded animals linked to the early evolution of birds.