A complete dinosaur fossil of an unknown type of dinosaur, possibly a new species, sold for over $2.3 million at a Paris auction. The skeleton of the mysterious dinosaur was auctioned last Monday on a stage at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. It is 30 feet or 9-meter long. The name of the seller and buyer has been kept private, Reuters wrote.

The extinct animal skeleton was excavated in 2013 in the western United States. Scientists were not able to specifically identify the kind of dinosaur species the animal belonged to, but they believe the large skeleton belongs to a carnivorous dinosaur.

Claude Aguttes, the dinosaur skeleton auctioneer, stated that the buyer is a French national. He disclosed that the buyer had earlier promised to present the fossil to the public if he succeeded at buying it. He said he would lend it to museums and allow paleontologists to carry out necessary studies on the remains.

The Paris auctioneer seems to be experienced at selling rare animal remains. They sold off the skeleton of a mammoth and that of another dinosaur in the recent past.

Since the dinosaur type is unknown, the French auction house disclosed that it might be up to the eventual buyer to name his purchase. But the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in the United States objects to this idea, stating the move would contradict the laid down regulations for naming animals.

The US scientific association went against the auction, asking that it be canceled. According to them, privately owning a dinosaur skeleton would make it impossible for scientists to run needed research on the fossil; and if it were released to the use of paleontologists, they would still be limited in what they could do with it given that the fossil is privately-owned.

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