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One of only four known to exist, Ceratosaurus fossils are sold at auction for $30.5 million.
The rare dinosaur fossil “is one of the best and most complete examples of this species ever discovered,” Auction House’s Sotheby’s said in a statement released Wednesday.
The specimen, a fossil of the four only boys, Seratosaurus, was sold in New York in Sotheby at a multiple of the estimate of $4 million to $6 million, following a six-minute battle between six different bidders.
Ceratosaurus nasicornis was a flesh-eating predator with nose horns, long teeth and bone armor, running down his back and tail.
According to Sotheby’s, 6 feet, 3 inches tall (1.9 meters) tall, about 10 feet tall, about 8 inches and 8 inches (3.25 meters) long, 57 of which constitute a “substantially complete skull.”
It was discovered in 1996 at the Bone Cabin Quarry in Wyoming and was dated in the late Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago.
The fossils were on display at the Museum of Ancient Life in Thanksgiving Point, Utah from 2000 to 2024 and have not been officially studied or explained in a scientific journal, Sotheby’s said.
“The Seratosaurus buyers are planning to lend it to the institution, as appropriate for this specimen of rarity and importance,” the auction house said.
In the same sale, metstone, the largest known Mars on Earth, was sold for $5.3 million.
“These amazing results highlight a deep, lasting appeal and respect for the natural world. From the most distant range of space to the depths of the earth. It’s more than a passion for science that attracts collectors.
Mark Westgers, professor of art market history at the University of Leeds in the UK, told CNN the sale was “part of a recent revival of interest in fossils and natural history.”
Sotheby’s, for example, also sold the most valuable fossils sold at Apex the Stegosaur, Apex the Stegosaur, which won $44.6 million in July 2024.
“At the very top of the market, there appears to be a growing desire for ‘distinguishing’,” Westgers said. “These dinosaur specimens also have a special aesthetic: sculptural and adoring inspiration.”
This kind of price tag is shocking for Steve Brusatte, professor of paleontology and evolution at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
“Who has that kind of money for dinosaurs? Certainly there are no museums or educational institutions,” he told CNN.
“We are pleased that buyers may rent out the skeleton to the museum for display, but at this point it’s a vague suggestion. The buyers are still anonymous,” added Bursatte.
“My fear may not see the light of day until this skeleton disappears into ether, disappears into the oligarch or bank safe residences, accumulates value as another investment in a hedge fund portfolio, and auctions it off again, or at no point,” he said.
“In short, the world where dinosaur skeletons can win tens of millions of dollars within minutes at auction is not the world where dinosaurs will be accessible for a long time to educate and inspire everyone,” added Brusatte.
However, Westgers argues there is a “symbiotic” relationship between the market and the broader research interest.
He cites the example of Mary Anning, who discovered fossils on the southern coast of England in the early 19th century and opened a successful fossil store.
“The fossil market here serves as a catalyst for research in public institutions in the 19th century, raising attention and public interest, and increasing research activities on dinosaur fossils,” said Westgers, who argued that it suggests that fossil buyers of Seratorus are being loaned out for future research.
