Huge dinosaur sells for $6.1million making it one of most ‘valuable’ beasts ever

A HUGE dinosaur has been sold at auction in New York for a staggering $6.1million (£5million).

Sotheby’s sold the Gorgosaurus skeleton, which is the first of its kind to be put up for auction.

1

The dinosaur stands at 10 feet tall and 22 feet long.

It’s one of only 20 Gorgosaurus skeletons known to exist.

Sotheby’s said the sale “places the Gorgosaurus among the most valuable dinosaurs ever sold at auction, and establishes a new benchmark for a Gorgosaurus skeleton.”

The anonymous buyer not only gets a huge dinosaur but the exclusive opportunity to name it.

Sotheby’s said: “A member of the Tyrannosaurid family, whose name translates as ‘fierce’ or ‘terrifying’ lizard, the Gorgosaurus was an apex carnivore that reigned during the Late Cretaceous period, roaming the earth approximately 77 million years ago.

“Native to what is now Western North America, this specimen was discovered in 2018 in the Judith River Formation near Havre, Montana, a historically important formation that has been excavated by palaeontologists for over a century.

“The discovery was particularly exceptional due to the rarity of Gorgosaurus material south of the Canadian border, this being one of only a tiny handful to be found in the United States.”

The Gorgosaurus is a relative of the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex.

However, the Gorgosaurus is thought to have been faster than a T-rex and it would have had a stronger bite.

The price of the Gorgosaurus may sound expensive but a T-rex skeleton sold for $31.8 million in 2020.

Stan, the world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus rex, was sold by Christie’s and set a new world record for the most expensive dinosaur ever sold.

The sale of dinosaur fossils can spark controversy as scientific communities fear they will no longer be able to study certain fossils if they’re sold to private collections.