Dinosaur Skeleton To Be Auctioned Off By Sotheby's in NYC

Dinosaur Skeleton, To Be Auctioned Off , By Sotheby's in NYC.

The 76 million-year-old fossilized skeleton of a Gorgosaurus is scheduled for auction on July 28.

The Gorgosaurus lived during the Cretaceous Period in what is now the Northwest U.S. and Canada.

The apex predator is thought to be an ancestor of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

In my career, I have had the privilege of handling and selling many exceptional and unique objects, Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's, via NPR News.

... but few have the capacity to inspire wonder and capture imaginations quite like this unbelievable Gorgosaurus skeleton, Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's, via NPR News.

Paleo-scientists say that it's "disappointing to see a good specimen of a rare dinosaur potentially on its way to a private collector.".

Any time that a vertebrate fossil is being sold, potentially privately, it's disturbing, Gregory Erickson, Paleobiologist at Florida State University, via LiveScience.

Part of the criticism of allowing private collectors to own dinosaur fossils has to do with the scientific potential of such specimens.

It steals away the potential for scientific advancement.

, Gregory Erickson, Paleobiologist at Florida State University, via LiveScience.

Gorgosaurus fossils are particularly rare finds, with only 12 known fossilized skeleton specimens in the world.

In this case as near as I can tell, the specimen has been legally collected, so it's fair game.

, Gregory Erickson, Paleobiologist at Florida State University, via LiveScience.

That's where our laws are, Gregory Erickson, Paleobiologist at Florida State University, via LiveScience.

The rarity of the specimen seems to even be a selling point for the Sotheby's auction.

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The discovery was particularly exceptional due to the rarity of Gorgosaurus material south of the Canadian border, this being one of only a tiny handful to be found in the United States, Sotheby's Statement, via LiveScience