The fossilized skeleton, discovered in South
Dakota, is that of a robust Hoplophoneus weighing about 160
kilograms (350lb) which hunted primitive horses and small
rhinoceros.
"This saber-toothed tiger is 37 million years old. It is
particularly rare because its skeleton is 90% complete," Piguet
director Bernard Piguet told Reuters Television.
Mounted on a piece of wood, the skeleton is the star lot among
40 on the block in Geneva at a Dec. 8 session dedicated to
palaeontology which is also expected to attract online bidders.
Fabrice Van Rutten, Piguet's antiquity art specialist, said the
item had a "universal dimension" without religious or cultural
associations.
"It speaks to all of us regarding where we come from on
Earth...I think this is one of the rare artistic areas without
borders," he said.
Yann Cuenin, head of Nevadia, the Swiss-based seller, said the
skeleton had been found in South Dakota's Badlands.
"This is probably one of the best pieces of this species that
was discovered on this site," he said. "So the preservation is
particularly good, the fossilization quality is very neat, the
mineralization is perfect."
(Reporting by Cecile Mantovani; writing by Stephanie Nebehay;
editing by Ed Osmond)
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