The Dubai Mall's Giant Dinosaur Skeleton to be Auctioned Off

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Dubai Mall's dinosaur skeleton is seeking a new owner. Wam.

Emirates Auction have announced that it will hold the Middle East's first auction of its kind to find the Diplodocus longus a new home.

If you've a penchant for collecting things of the really old, and really large variety (and you have rather a lot of money), this auction is for you.

The huge, 155-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton that dominates an atrium in The Dubai Mall is going under the hammer.

Emirates Auction have announced that it will hold the Middle East's first auction of its kind to find the Diplodocus longus a new home, seeking lovers of rare collectibles as potential new owners.

The online auction will begin with a starting value of Dh14.6 million, and will end on August 25.

Affectionately known as the 'DubaiDino', the 24-metre long, 7.6-metre high Diplodocus longus dinosaur is from the late Jurassic period.

It was installed in the Souk Dome in The Dubai Mall in 2014, and at the time, was the first of its kind in the world. The dinosaur, which was estimated to be age 25 when it died, weighs the same as five elephants.

The DubaiDino moniker was coined as part of a competition to name the skeleton, and was won by Johara Al Bayedh, a bank manager and Saudi national.

The remains of DubaiDino were discovered in 2008 at the Dana Quarry in Wyoming, US and it was flown to Dubai.

About 90 per cent of this fossil’s bones are original and were found intact at the excavation site. This made it an unusual find since the last Diplodocus longus discovered had only 30 per cent of the original bones.

"The auction will be an ideal opportunity for those looking for excellence to supplement their collections with a historic masterpiece rarely found around the world," Wam said.

Source: www.thenational.ae