Have you always been intrigued reading about dinosaurs? Do you look for new fossil discoveries with much interest? Someone with a keen interest in the subject would know of different species names of dinosaurs. And now someone can get to name a new species of a skeleton that will go up for an auction! The scientists did not know about it before so it does not have a name yet. But if you are the bidder and win this, then you get to name this species. Being an object of such historical significance, the name has to nice, unique and also sensible for a Dinosaur species. But this too will come at a high price. An estimate is made close to €1.2m.

The auction for this skeleton will be held at Auguttes auction house in Paris in June this year. The carnivorous therapod was found in 2013 and it was thought to be an allosaur already known to them. But when they studied it in detail they found it had more teeth and a more substantial pelvis. The shoulder blades were more elongated and the bones of the skull were also different. Eric Genest of Auguttes says: ‘My estimate for this dinosaur is €1.2m to €1.8m. But this is only an estimate. The price for such a rare item can climb very fast because this is a still unknown dinosaur to which the buyer can give his name.’

 

But someone who will study the object further, do a scientific study on it will more likely have to buy it. It is a nine-metre long skeleton with 70% bone conserved, dating back to 155-148 million years ago! It was found during an excavation carried out in 2013 at Morrison Formation in Wyoming. The place is known for the richest source of dinosaur fossils. Eric Mickeler, expert consultant for the sale, said: ‘The discovery of this specimen probably represents the high point of my career, so significant are its scientific implications.’

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 12, 2018 11:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).