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The
fossil, dug up in the western United States in 2013, is known
only to belong to a large, carnivorous dinosaur. Scientists who
have studied it say there are several differences with known
species.
"The buyer is French and he told me before the sale ... 'if I
get it, I would present it to the public' and this is amazing,"
auctioneer Claude Aguttes said.
"Everyone will be able to see it, it will soon be lent to a
museum, it will be studied by scientists, everything is
perfect."
The buyer and the seller, identified only as a British
businessman, were both unnamed.
The sale had been expected to fetch up to $2.1 million.
French auction house Aguttes, which had previously sold a
mammoth skeleton and that of another dinosaur, had said before
Monday's sale that the buyer might be able to name the new
species, sparking objections from a U.S. scientific association.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, had argued in a
statement this might run counter to naming rules. It called for
the auction to be canceled, saying that private ownership could
limit the reach of scientific study even if the skeleton was
then released to researchers.
Some of the proceeds from the auction will go to two charities
working with endangered species, including cheetahs and ocean
wildlife.
($1 = 0.8549 euros)
(Reporting by Celia Mebroukine, Writing by Sarah White,; Editing
by Catherine Evans)
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