Fossils of the dinosaur that inspired "Jurassic Park" were sold for more than US $ 12 million

Credit: Christie's Images Ltd. 2022

(CNN) --

His name is "Hector," he's more than 100 million years old, and his fossils sold for more than $12 million at auction at Christie's.

Hector is the most complete skeleton of

ever found, according to Christie's.

The specimen, excavated in Montana in 2013, dates back to the early Cretaceous period: 115 to 108 million years ago.

It is in a "remarkable state of preservation," the auction house says of the specimen, which consists of 126 original fossils in a custom-made frame.

The lot was expected to fetch between $4 million and $6 million, according to Christie's.

Instead, it sold for a staggering $12.4 million on Wednesday.

The 9-foot-long Deinonychus, which roamed western North America, was named for its distinctive, deadly claw on each leg, the auction house says.

Deinonychus means "terrible claw" in ancient Greek.

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"Sickle-shaped and raised from the ground when not in use to maintain its deadly edge, this claw was used to disembowel prey," Christie's described.

The death claw may look familiar to fans of the iconic "Jurassic Park" film series, in which conniving velociraptors kill parkgoers and do battle with a tyrannosaurus rex.

In reality, however, Velociraptor was a small, turkey-sized dinosaur found mainly in Mongolia.

The filmmakers used its name, but took most of the attributes of the larger Deinonychus, according to Christie's.

Other Deinonychus

Hector, only the third complete Deinonychus skeleton found, has been in private ownership since its excavation.

The other two complete Deinonychus skeletons are museum property: one is on display at the American Museum of Natural History.

Some dinosaur fossils, particularly "celebrity" species like those featured in "Jurassic Park," have fetched impressive sums at auction in recent decades.

In 2020, a T.rex skeleton sold for a record $31.8 million, and in 2021, the world's largest Triceratops skeleton sold for $7.7 million.

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