Nov 17, (V7N) - A 22-meter-long Apatosaurus skeleton has sold for 6 million euros ($6.4 million) at an auction in France, making it the largest dinosaur skeleton ever to be auctioned in the country. The sale took place on Saturday at the Collin du Bocage and Barbarossa auction houses. The skeleton, which represents around 75 to 80 percent of the original bones, is about 150 million years old and was discovered in Wyoming, USA in 2018.

The buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased the skeleton for 4.7 million euros, with the final price including additional costs. As part of the sale agreement, the buyer has pledged to allow the skeleton to be displayed in a museum for public viewing. Olivier Collin du Bocage, one of the auction house representatives, expressed satisfaction that the dinosaur would be made accessible for educational purposes.

The fossil, nicknamed Vulcan, consists of around 300 bones and is a remarkably well-preserved specimen of the giant herbivore. During its lifetime, the Apatosaurus would have weighed around 20 tonnes. Excavations for this specimen were carried out between 2019 and 2021, funded by a French investor, under the legal framework in the U.S. that permits individuals to obtain excavation rights for prehistoric remains.

The skeleton was displayed over the summer at a château in Dampierre-en-Yvelines, located southwest of Paris, before being auctioned. Its pre-auction value had been estimated at between 3 and 5 million euros. As part of the sale agreement, the new owner has also committed to allowing paleontologists access to the skeleton for future study, furthering scientific research into the species.

END/BUS/RH/