You heard right. “Vulcano”, a giant 22-tonne herbivore found at an undisclosed site in the middle of Wyoming, was sold at a French auction house in Dampierre-en-Yvelines, near Paris. An anonymous buyer paid a modest $6.4 million. The enormous dinosaur, likely an Apatosaurus, very similar to the better-known Brontosaurus, dates back about 150 million years and weighs the same as four elephants. “Vulcano” now holds the record for the “largest dinosaur ever sold at auction”. The anonymous buyer granted scientists permission to carry out research on the remains, so as to gather as much information as possible. The skeleton will later be exhibited to allow the wider public to see and admire this natural marvel, made up of about 300 bones, 80% of which are authentic. The most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold is “Apex”, a Stegosaurus with nearly 100% authentic bones, purchased for $44.6 million by billionaire philanthropist Ken Griffin, 11 times its starting price. Before that, the record was held by “Stan”, a T-Rex sold in 2020 for $31.8 million. “Stan” became globally famous for being at the centre of a mystery when it temporarily disappeared before reappearing in Abu Dhabi; rumour has it, purchased by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the American action film star from “Jumanji”.
By Gabriele Ceci and Francesco Sosio, 3L, Liceo Scientifico Vittorio Veneto, Milan
