A 22-metre-long Apatosaurus dinosaur skeleton, known as 'Vulcain,' was displayed at the Dampierre castle before being auctioned in Dampierre-en-Yvelines, south of Paris, on July 10, 2024. – AFP
The massive dinosaur skeleton, which measures 70 feet in length, sold for six million euros ($6.4 million) on Saturday, according to AFP sources from auction houses Collin du Bocage and Barbarossa. An anonymous collector acquired the vegetarian Apatosaurus, unearthed in the United States, for 4.7 million euros, with costs bringing the total to 6 million euros. This marks the largest dinosaur ever auctioned in France.
The buyer has committed to displaying the skeleton in a museum. 'We are pleased that the buyer plans to lend it to an institution,' said Olivier Collin du Bocage. The skeleton, composed of 75 to 80 percent original bones, is approximately 150 million years old. During its lifetime, the giant herbivore's skeleton weighed around twenty tonnes.
The fossil spent the summer in the orangerie of Dampierre-en-Yvelines, a chateau located 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Paris, where the sale occurred. The remains of the Apatosaurus, nicknamed Vulcan, were discovered in 2018 in Wyoming, USA, where individuals can acquire concessions to excavate prehistoric bones. The excavation, conducted between 2019 and 2021, was funded by a French investor.
The fossil, comprising 300 bones, was transported to France for restoration. Its pre-sale value was estimated between three and five million euros. Under the sale contract, the future owner is required to grant paleontologists access to the dinosaur for study.
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