Naming rights go with the sale of this Jurassic relic

THE sale of a skeleton of a newly discovered species of carnivorous dinosaur to be sold by Auguttes auction house in Paris in June offers the buyer the opportunity to acquire naming rights.

This single lot Auguttes sale on June 4 is unusual for a number of reasons. It is a unique, recently discovered skeleton of an unknown theropod; and it will be the first auction of such a specimen destined for scientific study.

Eric Genest, spokesperson for Auguttes says: “My estimate for this dinosaur is 1.2m (R17.7m) to 1.8m. But this is only a personal 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 or her name.”

The 9m long and 2.6m high skeleton – which is estimated to be about 150 million years old – still has 70% of the original bones conserved. It was discovered in the course of excavations carried out in 2013 at a site on the Morrison Formation, an Upper Jurassic geological sequence that covers much of the western US and is one of the world’s richest sources of dinosaur fossils.

It was only in 2016, when the skeleton was being prepared by European specialists,

Talks by authorities on the dinosaur will be presented by Auguttes on June 4 at the Eiffel Tower

that scientists noticed that the skeleton presented major anatomical differences from known allosaurs: it has more teeth and a more substantial pelvis with a broad suture between the pubic bones, while the scapulae (shoulder blades) are more elongated. There are also differences in the bones of the skull. Other distinguishing features and scientific reports are in the Auguttes catalogue for the sale.

These differences were observed and reported by palaeontologists Pascal Godefroit, a Belgian specialist known for his work on dinosaurs, and Simone Maganuco, of the Museum of Natural History, Milan.

The skeleton has been mounted on a stainless steel structure capable of supporting the weight of the skull, rather than having to replace it with a lighter, resin replica as is the case in most museum displays. This structure, whose lattice construction is a nod to Gustave Eiffel, also allows for individual bones to be removed for scientific study.

Eric Mickeler, employed all over the world as a consultant for the valuation of fossils, says: “The discovery of this specimen probably represents the high point of my career, so significant are its scientific implications.”