PARIS (AP) – The world’s largest triceratops skeleton, known as “Big John,” was sold for 6.6 million euros ($ 7.7 million) at an auction in Paris on Thursday.
The huge skeleton, estimated to be 66 million years old, was discovered in South Dakota in 2014. The triceratops is known for the three horns on its head.
Big John, nicknamed after the owner of the land where he was found, is certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest documented skeleton of a triceratops. The dinosaur died on an ancestral plain on the mainland island that stretched from present-day Alaska to Mexico, allowing the skeleton to be preserved in mud. The skeleton is more than 60% complete and its skull is more than 75% complete, which makes it unique.
It measures 7.15 meters (23 feet) in length and stands 2.7 meters (8 feet) tall at hip level. The skull makes up more than a third of its total length, with two horns over 1.1 meters (3.6 feet).
The closing price at the Drouot auction house, before commission and other costs, was 5.5 million euros.
The auction house did not give details of the buyer.