A rare mounted skeleton of a Nimravid, a mammal that lived around 33 million years ago, has sold as top lot in Bonhams' Fossils auction, held in New York on November 19.
 The Nimravid skeleton is of superb quality and is one of the most complete ever discovered |
The Nimravid is often referred to as a "false sabre-toothed cat", but actually lived millions of years before the famed felines. With no comparable specimen yet discovered, the fossil sold for $161,000.
Also starring in the sale was the skull of a prehistoric whale which, unlike those known today, had a long sleek body and front flippers hinged at the elbow, suggesting it was capable of walking on land. With this one of the most complete examples ever found, the skull sold for $77,500.
On November 27, Summers Place Auctions will become the first auction house in the UK to sell a large dinosaur skeleton - that of a 17-metre Diplodocus longus.
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