Hector the Raptor Sells for $12.4 Million at Christie's, Second Most Expensive Dinosaur Ever Auctioned

Christie's New York auctioned Hector, a Deinonychus antirrhopus skeleton, on May 12, 2022, for $12,412,500, making it the second most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction. The estimate was $4-6 million. Hector is the most complete of only three known skeletons of this species, comprising about 126 fossil bones. It was excavated from Wolf Creek Canyon, Montana, between 2012 and 2014, and previously exhibited only once at the Natural History Museum of Denmark during the "King of Dinosaurs" exhibition (2020-21). The sale follows Christie's 2020 auction of Stan the T. rex, which sold for around $32 million to the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. Hector's name references the Trojan warrior from Greek mythology. The species Deinonychus antirrhopus, known for its speed, sickle claws, and compact build, was popularized as "Velociraptor" in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park.