A Juvenile Ceratosaurus Dinasaur – the Only Known Specimen of Its Kind To Be Offered at Sotheby’s New York
Discovered in 1996 at the Historic Bone Cabin Quarry, The Exceptionally Preserved Fossil from the Late Jurassic Period Is Mounted for the First Time
On Public View Opening 8 July, Before Being Sold on 16 July
NEW YORK, 16 JUNE — This July, Sotheby’s will present the only known juvenile specimen of Ceratosaurus nasicornis, a remarkable carnivorous dinosaur that roamed the Earth approximately 154–149 million years ago. Measuring approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall and 10 feet 8 inches long, this skeleton—mounted for the first time in its history—offers a rare glimpse into the early life stage of one of prehistory’s most fearsome predators. Only four Ceratosaurus skeletons are known to exist, and this is the sole juvenile among them. Already impressively large but still only a fraction of the size an adult Ceratosaurus could reach, this specimen is one of the finest and most complete examples of its genus ever found, with an estimated sale price of $4-6 million.
The Ceratosaurus was a large, carnivorous dinosaur dating to the Kimmeridgian Stage of the Late Jurassic.This period was a time of remarkable evolutionary activity, marked by warm climates, rising sea levels, and the gradual breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea. These shifting conditions created diverse habitats that supported the flourishing of dinosaurs across what are now North America, Europe, and parts of Africa, allowing predators like Ceratosaurus and herbivores such as Stegosaurus and Apatosaurus to thrive.
The Ceratosaurus was distinguished by its unique and distinctive nasal horn, elongate teeth, and row of bony armor (osteoderms) running down its back and tail. A swift and agile predator, it likely hunted both small and medium-sized prey. It was robust, powerful and fast – not dissimilar from its distant cousin the T-rex, which it preceded by about 100 million years. Its build and unique anatomical features set it apart from other theropods of the Late Jurassic, suggesting it occupied a specialised ecological niche—combining strength, speed, and adaptability to hunt effectively across a range of environments.
The rare specimen will be offered during Sotheby’s Natural History auction on the 16th July, marking the latest in Sotheby’s pioneering Natural History offerings, which started in 1997 with the groundbreaking auction of Sue the T. rex—the first dinosaur ever sold at auction and now a centrepiece of the Field Museum in Chicago—and most recently the historic sale of Apex in 2024, which achieved $45 million, setting a world record for any dinosaur or fossil at auction, now on loan to the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Meet Ceratosaurus:
X-Ray of Ceratosaurus’ Skull-Ceratosaur Skull, Credit: Matthew Sherman
Comprised of 139 original fossil bone elements, the Ceratosaurus is an exceptional specimen, which boasts a remarkably complete and fully articulated skull.
The fossil’s bones are beautifully mineralized, featuring a rich grey black colour and exceptional detail— even the most delicate parts have been well preserved, including the diagnostic horned nasals and the orbital ridge-shaped horns. Mounted for the Sotheby’s exhibition, the full scale and structure of the specimen are revealed for the very first time—its impressive form supported by a custom metal framework that highlights its dimensions. Posed dynamically, the dinosaur is shown with its jaws open wide, revealing a striking array of teeth.
Unearthed at the storied Bone Cabin Quarry (West) in Wyoming in 1996, and formerly exhibited unmounted at the Museum of Ancient Life in Utah, it is only the fourth Ceratosaurus specimen ever discovered, and the second most complete in existence—surpassed only by the original genoholotype housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.Bone Cabin Quarry gained prominence through the efforts of the American Museum of Natural History, which mounted numerous expeditions and managed extensive excavations from 1898 to 1905.
Excavations revealed a spectacular Jurassic fossil locality, preserving an enormous multi-species assemblage. Henry Fairfield Osborn (1904) curator of vertebrate paleontology at the American Museum stated that the quarry was “the greatest find of extinct animals made in a single locality in any part of the world.” By the end of the 1905 field season the remains of approximately seventy-three animals were preserved including extinct species of crocodiles and turtles. Among the dinosaurs preserved were Diplodocus, Brontosaurus, Camarasaurus, Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Camptosaurus, and Ornitholestes.
Many are currently on exhibit in the museum’s Great Dinosaur Halls in New York.
Exhibition Dates
8 – 15 July, Sotheby’s New York
Auction Dates
Wednesday 16th July, Sotheby’s New York
About Sotheby’s
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