The skeleton of a 66-million-year-old giant Triceratops fossil could soon belong to a lucky dinosaur enthusiast — that is, if they have an estimated 1.2 million euros ($1.4 million) to spare.
The specimen, dubbed Big John, has a skull 2.62 meters (8 feet 7 inches) long and 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) wide, while his two largest horns are 1.1 meters (3 feet 7 inches) long and more than 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) wide at their base, able to withstand 16 tons of pressure, according to auctioneers Binoche et Giquello.
The dinosaur lived in Laramidia, an island continent which stretched from present day Alaska to Mexico, and perished in an ancient flood plain currently known as the Hell Creek formation in South Dakota, where he was discovered by geologist Walter W. Stein Bill in May 2014. The dinosaur was excavated a year later, and later restored in Italy, the company said in a statement.
The creature’s remains were preserved in mud, and the skeleton is more…
