Through Oct 1

In the spring of 2007, at the newly-investigated Dana Quarry in the Morrison Formation of Wyoming, the team from Dinosauria International LLC made an exciting discovery: the beautifully preserved femur of the giant carnivorous Allosaur. As they kept digging, their excitement grew greater; next came toe bones, leg bones, ribs, vertebrae and finally a skull: complete, undistorted and, remarkably, with full dentition. It was an incredible find; one of the most classic dinosaurs, virtually complete, articulated and in beautiful condition. But that was not all. When the team got the field jackets back to the preparation lab, they discovered another leg bone beneath the Allosaurus skull… There was another dinosaur in the 150 million year-old rock. After more digging and more bones, they realize the enormity of their discovery; the Allosaurus apparently died in the midst of mortal combat with another iconic Jurassic dinosaur; the Stegosaurus.

The Allosaurus and Stegosaurus, deadly carnivore and armored herbivore, were suspected of having fought pitched battles across the savannahs of Upper Jurassic North America but never before had they been found together. Here at last was proof not only of their co-existence, but an actual preservation of their combat. Previously reported finds included a Stegosaurus neck plate with a U-shaped wound corresponding to the bite of an Allosaur, and an Allosaurus tail vertebrae with a puncture wound the exact shape of a Stegosaurus tail spike. The association was undeniable: the humerus of the Stegosaur was found almost inside the mouth of the Allosaur, and given their complete articulation, it is impossible not to imagine the two giants caught in a fight to the death. The Stegosaur was named “Fantasia” after a scene in the classic Disney film. The Allosaurus was named “Dracula” for its bristling mouthful of deadly teeth. This is a unique opportunity to own this unprecedented find: two incredibly well-preserved iconic dinosaurs identified as rare species of well-known genera and found in association in the oldest and least-explored stratigraphic zone of a famous and historically important American geologic formation.

Photography by

Heritage Auction Galleries

Roy Richardson & Bryan Buchanan