DINO-SOAR! 'Big John,' the world's most complete triceratops, sells for $7.7 million in Paris auction
The world's biggest triceratops skeleton, known as 'Big John,' sold for $7.7 million (6.6 million euros) on Thursday at a Paris auction house.
The enormous skeleton, which is estimated to be over 66 million years old and is more than 60 complete, was found in 2014 in South Dakota.
It was estimated to sell for approximately $1.8 million, Drouot auction house, which handled the sale, said in September.
The hammer price at the Drouot auction house, before commission and other costs, was $6.4 million, or 5.5 million euros.
Auctioneer Alexandre Giquello poses in front of Big John, the largest known triceratops skeleton, as he is being assembled in a showroom in Paris, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. Big John sold for 5.5 million euros ($6.4 million) on Thursday
The fossilized remains of 'Big John', the largest triceratops ever discovered. The skeleton is more than 60% complete and its skull is 75% complete
The auction house did not give any details about the buyer.
Big John, named after the owner of the land where it was found, is certified by the Guinness World Records as the largest documented skeleton of a triceratops.
The first bones were discovered in May 2014 by geologist Walter W. Stein Bill in the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota
The first bones were discovered in May 2014 by geologist Walter W. Stein Bill in the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota.
Since then, 60 percent of Big John's skeleton has been found, including its nearly-complete skull. In total, more than 200 of the dinosaur's bones have been unearthed.
There is a laceration on Big John's collar, which is likely 'evidence of a duel with another, smaller triceratops in which Big John was reportedly injured'
Since then, 60 percent of Big John's skeleton has been found, including its nearly-complete skull. In total, more than 200 of the dinosaur's bones have been unearthed
According to Drout, there is a laceration on Big John's collar, which is likely 'evidence of a duel with another, smaller triceratops in which Big John was reportedly injured,' the auction house wrote on its website.
'These violent fights took place during the life of these animals, probably for reasons of territorial defense or courtship,' the auction house wrote on its website.
The skeleton is 7.15 meters long (23 feet) and stands 2.7 meters high (8 feet) at the hips. Its skull measures 8.6 feet (2.6 meters) long and 6.6 feet (2m) wide and is 75 percent complete.
The horns on the massive dinosaur are each 3.6 feet (1.1m) long and almost 12 inches wide.
They allowed the formidable creature to withstands 16 tons of pressure, according to New Atlas.
The giant herbivore lived in Laramidia (also the home of Tyrannosaurus rex), an island continent that stretched from Alaska to Mexico.
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Big John died in a floodplain, which allowed his skeleton to be preserved in mud, Drout added.
Big John will be exhibited in an emblematic square in Italy before heading over to France in October for the public to see, prior to the October 21 auction.
Other dinosaur fossils have sold for significant sums in recent memory, including two allosaurs sold for $1.66 million (1.4 million euros) and $3.56 million (3 million euros) in 2018 and 2020, respectively, the auction house said.
A diplodocus fossil was sold for $1.66 million (1.4 million euros) in 2018 as well.
Once primarily sold to museums, dinosaur remains have increasingly attracted private buyers, though their numbers remain few.
In October 2020, a 40ft-long T. rex fossil sold for a record-breaking $31 million at auction, nearly four times the previous record of a dinosaur fossil.
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