A Tyrannosaurus rex skull which was discovered in South Dakota is up for auction in the US. It is expected to sell for between $15 and $20 million, according to auction house Sotheby's. The distinctive skull, nicknamed 'Maximus' will be offered without a reserve in a single lot and is sold by an anonymous seller at a live auction on December 9.
In a statement, Henry Galiano, a Sotheby's consultant for natural history said, "This T. rex fossil is an extraordinary discovery. Unearthed in one of the most concentrated areas for T. rex remains, the skull retained much of its original shape and surface characteristics with even the smallest and most delicate bones intact, with an extremely high degree of scientific integrity."
The skull is believed to be 76 million years old it stands at 6 feet and 7 inches and it weighs more than 200 pounds mounted on a pedestal. The creature probably fought battles of its own-two puncture marks in the skull suggest a fight with a fellow T. rex. "Tyrannosaurus rex skulls of this quality and completeness number less than a dozen in museum collections, making this skull a rare and important paleontological discovery," the auction house said.
The incredible skull was discovered and excavated on private land in Harding County, South Dakota in the Hell Creek Formation, Sotheby's said.
T-Rex was the most fearsome predator in the history of the planet. It roamed the Earth 66 million years ago.
In 1997, the auction house sold the first dinosaur fetching a record $8.3 million The dig site where the T. rex skull was unearthed had been severely weathered over time, and most of the skeleton was destroyed by erosion; by a great stroke of luck, the skull survived.
