Friday’s Evolution Auction at Summers Place Auctions, Billingshurst (West Sussex), UK, saw the juvenile Allosaurus, ‘Little Al,’ fail to sell. The reserve price (undisclosed) for the nearly-complete skeleton was clearly too high. According to a spokeswoman, the bids stopped at the agreed reserve price. The spokeswoman said that anyone who did not bid could still purchase it by making a reasonable offer after the auction. Auctions accepted only face-to-face and telephone bids. Online offers were not allowed. The auction house claims that the Little Al’s bones are among the best of any juvenile Allosaurus. This young predator was a fearsome one and lived up to 155million years ago during the Jurassic period. Evidently, a nearly-complete skeleton from a juvenile Allosaurus does not attract the same amount of attention as one might think. (Image: summersplaceauctions.com) The failed sale was a surprise. Because most juvenile dinosaurs from larger species died young, the remains are rare. There was little left after they were eaten. Summers Place Auctions describes Allosaurus as a terrifying apex predator. Allosaurus, like Ceratosaurs or Torvosaurs was an enormous Therapod dinosaur that was at the top of their food chain. Experts say that Allosaurus hunted on dry ground, but Ceratosaurs or Torvosaurs prefer watery areas. An adult male Allosaurus can reach 39 meters (12 feet) in height. Little Al’s skull retains an articulated skull and many sharp, serrated and dagger-like teeth. It also has large claws that can grab and tear prey. Summers Place Auctions stated that “apex predators” are rare, and it is difficult for juveniles to survive in such an environment. Little Al was fearsome even as a young predator. (Image: summersplaceauctions.com) Renowned German palaeontologist Raimund Albersdoerfer discovered fragments of Little Al in 2009, close to a quarry in Wyoming, USA. The bones of an adult Sauropod and skeletal remains from another Sauropod were found scattered across a vast area. Rupert van der Werff was one of Summers Place’s directors. He said that the Allosaurus and the T-Rex have become the most iconic large-bodied, carnivorous dinosaurs in Western culture. “It also added the adorable factor to the room and could attract attention from museums.” The bones of Diplodocus longus were discovered by Dr. Albersdoerfer’s teenage sons. It was sold to the History Museum of Denmark by an auction house for PS . Video: Evolution Auction
