Rare Juvenile Ceratosaurus Skeleton to Lead Sotheby’s Auction
Sotheby’s will auction a rare juvenile Ceratosaurus skeleton in New York on 16 July. This is the first and only young Ceratosaurus ever discovered, making it a highlight of Sotheby’s Natural History sale during its “Geek Week” auction series.
The Only Juvenile Ceratosaurus Ever Found
Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s vice-chairman and global head of science and natural history, explained that juvenile fossils rarely survive the challenges of deep time. She noted that only four Ceratosaurus skeletons exist worldwide, and this is the only juvenile among them.
Unearthed in 1996 at the Bone Cabin Quarry in Wyoming, the specimen had been displayed in unmounted form at the Museum of Ancient Life in Utah. It is also the second most complete Ceratosaurus skeleton ever found, after the holotype at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Exceptional Skull Adds Research Value
Hatton highlighted the scientific value of this skeleton, especially its skull. “It’s incredibly rare to find a complete skull,” she said, noting that such finds help scientists understand the growth stages of these Late Jurassic predators.
Dinosaurs have long fascinated scientists and the public alike. Their extinction raised many theories, including asteroid impacts and egg predation by small mammals. In 1980, researchers discovered a sediment layer with high iridium levels, linking it to an asteroid impact at the Chicxulub crater in Mexico. This event wiped out three-quarters of Earth’s species, including the dinosaurs.
Auction Expectations for a Historic Fossil
The juvenile Ceratosaurus skeleton is expected to sell for between $4 million and $6 million at auction. Hatton mentioned that the market will decide whether this skeleton can rival last year’s sale of Apex, the $45 million Stegosaurus Sotheby’s sold.
Hatton noted that dinosaurs capture our imagination because they once ruled the Earth yet vanished completely. She added, “It’s fascinating, and terrifying, to consider that if these powerful creatures could disappear, could the same happen to us?”
The auction will give collectors and institutions a rare chance to acquire a unique piece of natural history, adding a scientifically significant fossil to their collections.
with inputs from Reuters
