All that remains of a 70-million year old Mosasaurus Baugei or Meuse lizard, a huge carnivorous reptile and the dominant underwater predator menacing the Earth’s seas 70-million years ago, could sell for as much as $400,000 on December 2, 2007 in Los Angeles as Bonhams & Butterfields, the premier West Coast auction house, brings an eclectic and spectacular array of Natural History to auction.
Named for the Meuse River in Holland where the first specimen was discovered in 1780, the Mosasaur’s long, streamlined body made the animal a swift and graceful carnivore, unlikely to be evaded by many of its victims. It consumed fish, turtles, mollusks and shellfish while patrolling waters. The specimen to be featured in the December sale is considered one of the largest and most complete Mosasaurus Baugei specimens in existence. Excavated from an area of North Africa actively mined for phosphate, the specimen was uncovered in a geologic layer that is Late Maastrichtian in age. The spectacular skeleton displays a 1.20-meter skull, 126 vertebrae, front and rear limbs and girdle bones. In total, the animal measures nearly 30-feet in length, a stunning example of undersea life in the Age of Dinosaurs.

Since its inception in 1998, the Natural History department has conducted a series of exciting auctions, establishing Bonhams & Butterfields as the collecting field’s international forerunner. A wide range of categories are offered within Natural History sales including: unmounted faceted and cabochon gemstones, cat’s eye and other rare phenomenal gemstones, mineral specimens, amber – including examples of prehistoric insects trapped in the tree sap that became amber, pearls, seashells, meteorites – described as “out of this world debris,” archeological artifacts, petrified wood polished to form tabletops, ammonites, plant and animal fossils and the ever-popular dinosauria.
Values typically range from $500 to $300,000, with items of interest to both seasoned and novice collectors, enthusiasts and interior decorators — one of the latest groups to see the historical as well as aesthetic value to these rarities.
From fossils to home décor the winter Natural History sale at Bonhams & Butterfields is a resource for the finest of nature’s art. Los Angeles preview events are scheduled for November 30-December 2 in Bonhams & Butterfields’ Sunset Blvd. gallery. The illustrated catalog will be available online for review and purchase at www.bonhams.com/us in the weeks preceding the sale.

Posted: 08|31|07 at 10:10 am. Filed under: US News.