This 67-Million-Year-Old T. Rex Skeleton Is for Sale
On October 6, you'll have your chance to buy a near-complete T. rex skeleton in an auction.
Scientists discovered the 67-million year old fossil in the late 1980s and initially misidentified it.
Experts predict the specimen will sell for $6 to 8 million.
In 1987, in the South Dakota portion of Hell Creek Formation, Stan Sacrison discovered a set of bones belonging to what paleontologists originally believed to be a Triceratops. But those dinosaur experts were wrong. After storing the specimen away for years, the paleontologists properly identified the bones as those of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. And now, they could be yours.
🦖 You like badass beasts. So do we. Let's nerd out over them together.
This particular T. rex came to be known as “Stan” (named after Sacrison), and it lived some 67 million years ago. According to Christie’s, the auction house that will be selling the fossil to the highest bidder beginning October 6, Stan is “one of the most complete T. rex skeletons ever found.” He stands 13 feet tall, measures 40 feet long from head to tail, features 188 bones in total, and is expected to fetch up to $8 million.
Stan, who is from the Cretaceous period, lived in a humid, semi-tropical region that we currently recognize as the Badlands (both Dakotas, Wyoming, and Montana). As a newborn and even through early adolescence, Stan would have needed protection from his parents in order to grow into his full adult size.
Up until Stan was about 6 years old, Christie’s says, he was at risk of falling prey to larger predators—including other T. rex adults who weren’t above cannibalizing their own when they were hungry. Stan then hit a growth spurt somewhere between ages 6 and 18 that helped him grow large enough to become a fearsome apex predator.
At his peak, Stan would have been an absolute terror to behold. The dino had massive, powerful jaws that could gobble up to 500 pounds of meat in a single bite. Researchers estimate that Stan likely had as many as 58 teeth, some growing as long as 11.5 inches and each featuring serrated edges for brutal takedowns.
Stan also probably had to fend off other T. rex attacks in order to survive, since there are puncture wounds matching the shape of a T. rex tooth along his skull.
If you live in New York City and want to catch a glimpse of Stan before he’s sold, swing by Christie’s 49th Street offices. You'll find Stan on display behind floor-t0-ceiling glass windows in all his glorious might.
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