Big John (dinosaur)

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Big John
Big John displayed at Hôtel Drouot, Paris, on October 21, 2021
Common nameBig John
SpeciesTriceratops horridus
Agec. 66 million years (aged c. 60)
Place discoveredSouth Dakota, United States
Date discoveredMay 2014
Discovered byWalter W. Stein

Big John is a fossilized Triceratops horridus skeleton discovered in South Dakota's Hell Creek geological formation in 2014. It is the largest known Triceratops skeleton, according to the team that assembled the fossil. Big John's 2021 auction price of €6.6 million (US$7.7 million) made it the most expensive Triceratops skeleton; its high price signaled increasing demand for dinosaur fossils among private collectors and prompted discussion about the drawbacks of private fossil ownership for scientific research.

Discovery and description

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The skeleton is roughly 66 million years old, and was discovered in May 2014 by paleontologist and professional fossil hunter Walter W. Stein.[1][2] The fossil was located on a private ranch in Mud Butte, South Dakota, part of the Hell Creek geological formation.[3] After only "10–15 minutes of searching" at the discovery site, Stein noticed a debris field of skeleton fragments leading into a hillside.[3] The remains of a brow horn suggested that the fossil was a large Triceratops,[3] one of the most common dinosaurs found in the Hell Creek Formation.[4] The remains were scattered over an area of 100 square metres.[5]

The fossil's excavation was completed by August 2015.[6] The skeleton is over 60% complete, with a skull that is 75% complete.[7] It was nicknamed "Big John", after the owner of the ranch where it was found.[6][3]

The skeleton is 3 metres (9.8 ft) high and 8 metres (26 ft) long.[1] The remains, which weigh over 700 kilograms (1,500 lb), include a 2.62-metre (8 ft 7 in) collarbone. The two top horns are over a metre long. According to Zoic, the team that assembled the fossil, Big John is about 5–10% larger than any other known Triceratops.[7]

Close-up of the traumatic lesion on Big John's right squamosal bone

Traumatic lesion

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Big John bears a keyhole-shaped traumatic lesion (approx. 20 cm × 5 cm) on its right squamosal bone, which is possibly the result of a fight with another Triceratops.[8] The authors of a 2022 study concluded that the lesion was not simply an anatomical variation, based on the irregularity of its margins and the lack of similar structures in other Triceratops or Anchiceratops specimens.[8] A close examination of the lesion under an electron microscope noted that the bone at its margins was porous and disorganized, resembling newly formed bone.[8][9] This suggests that the injury had partially healed, and so was not the cause of death.[8][9] The study authors estimated that Big John died at least six months after receiving the injury.[8]

Assembly

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The remains of Big John were purchased for €150,000[10] and assembled over eight or nine months by the Zoic workshop in Trieste, Italy, who had previously restored two Triceratops skeletons.[6][11] More than 200 bones were pieced together.[1] The assembly process began in January 2021[12] and was live-streamed on the company's social media channels.[13] Zoic modelled the dinosaur's posture after the Charging Bull bronze sculpture on Wall Street.[14][15] They originally considered assembling the skeleton to stand on only two legs, but this was not possible given the weight of its skull.[10] Flavio Bacchia, who supervised the assembly, estimated that the Triceratops was about 60 years old and weighed six tons at the time of its death.[5][A]

Auction and sale

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Pre-auction display

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The skull first went on public display in Trieste in February 2021.[16] The fully-assembled skeleton was briefly displayed in Trieste, from 30 July to 1 August 2021.[17][18] This three-day exhibition was celebrated with the release of a children's book, A dinosaur walking around Trieste, written by Barbara Battistelli and illustrated by Luca Vergerio and Gianpaolo di Silvestro.[17][19][20] From mid-September to mid-October, the skeleton was displayed at the Rue des Archives in Paris, France.[15]

Purchase

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Big John on display at Hôtel Drouot in Paris, prior to its auction in October 2021

On 21 October 2021, the skeleton was sold for €6.6 million (US$7.7 million) by the Hôtel Drouot auction house in Paris,[6][21] exceeding the expected sale price of US$1.4–1.7 million.[6] It was purchased by a US collector, anonymous at the time but later revealed to be Tampa-based businessman Siddhartha Pagidipati,[22][23] who beat out 10 other bidders.[6][21][24][B] The high sale price signaled increasing demand for dinosaur fossils among private collectors.[1][25] Walter Stein, who discovered the fossil, was surprised by its high auction price, and stated, "I would have felt better about it had it gone to a museum. Hopefully the new owner will put it on public display somewhere soon, so others can love the specimen like we did."[3]

The auctioneer for the sale, Alexandre Giquello, said that skyrocketing prices for dinosaur fossils are "creating a new market."[1] Some scientists, including Francis Duranthon, from the Toulouse Museum of Natural History,[21] and Paul Barrett, from the Natural History Museum, London,[25] expressed concern that this higher demand was pushing prices beyond what public museums can afford and would make specimens inaccessible to researchers.[1] Denver Fowler, curator of the Badlands Dinosaur Museum at Dickinson Museum Center, questioned the fossil's scientific importance[4] and argued that its private ownership made it impossible to verify any research based on the skeleton.[9]

Big John is part of a larger run up in auction prices for dinosaur remains,[26][27] and was, until the sale of Apex in 2024, the most expensive non-Tyrannosaurus fossil ever sold at auction.[4][28] However, its price was substantially lower than the $27.5 million ($31.8 million with fees and costs) paid in 2020 for the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named Stan.[1]

Glazer Children's Museum

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In January 2023, it was announced that Siddhartha Pagidipati and his family would be loaning Big John to the Glazer Children's Museum in Tampa, Florida, for a three-year public exhibition.[23] Upon its arrival in Tampa, Big John was reconstructed in less than a week by technicians from Zoic workshop and displayed at the museum's annual gala on 3 February.[29][30] The museum's Big John exhibition opened on 26 May, and the museum waived its usual rule prohibiting adults from attending the museum without accompanying children.[29][30]

Media coverage

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Gedeon Programmes, Canal+, and WNET collaborated to produce a documentary about Big John entitled Jurassic Fortunes (2023). The documentary covered the fossil's discovery, reconstruction, and subsequent auction.[31]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Bacchia opined that, "It's a masterpiece," and "There are quite a few triceratops skulls around in the world, but very few of them almost complete."[1]
  2. ^ Pagidipati was represented at the auction by businessman Djuan Rivers.[4]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Big John, largest known triceratops skeleton, sold at auction". BBC News. October 21, 2021. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  2. ^ Weisberger, Mindy (September 3, 2021). "Who will buy 'Big John,' the biggest triceratops ever found?". Live Science. Future US, Inc. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e Pioneer, Lacey Peterson, Black Hills (December 4, 2021). "South Dakota dino fossil fetches $7.7M in Paris auction". Black Hills Pioneer. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b c d Greshko, Michael (November 9, 2021). "The controversial sale of 'Big John,' the world's largest Triceratops". National Geographic. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Šuligoj, Boris (May 13, 2021). "(Majhen) dinozaver sredi dnevne sobe". www.delo.si (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Pant, Anuj (October 22, 2021). "World's largest triceratops skeleton sells for $7.7mn at Paris auction house". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Big John, largest known triceratops skeleton, goes on display before auction". The Guardian. September 1, 2021. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e D’Anastasio, Ruggero; Cilli, Jacopo; Bacchia, Flavio; Fanti, Federico; Gobbo, Giacomo; Capasso, Luigi (April 7, 2022). "Histological and chemical diagnosis of a combat lesion in Triceratops". Scientific Reports. 12 (1): 3941. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-08033-2. hdl:11585/881823. ISSN 2045-2322. PMID 35393445. S2CID 248024939.
  9. ^ a b c Tamisiea, Jack (April 7, 2022). "'Big John,' a High-Profile Triceratops, Locked Horns With Its Own Kind, Study Suggests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Čepar, Nataša (July 30, 2021). "Veliki John sredi Velikega trga v Trstu". www.delo.si (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  11. ^ "Largest Triceratops skeleton ever discovered set to fetch over $1m at auction". Guinness World Records. October 13, 2021. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  12. ^ Brusaferro, Micol (January 20, 2021). "VIDEO | Arrivato a Trieste Big John, triceratopo millenario gigantesco". Dire.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  13. ^ "Big Johnu vračajo nekdanji blišč". Primorske novice (in Slovenian). January 26, 2021. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  14. ^ Giraldi, Nicolò (July 30, 2021). "Il giorno di Big John è arrivato, in piazza Unità il più grande triceratopo al mondo". TriestePrima (in Italian). Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  15. ^ a b France, Connexion. "World's largest known triceratops dinosaur up for auction in Paris". www.connexionfrance.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  16. ^ "In Italia si ricostruisce il triceratopo più grande al mondo - Friuli V. G." (in Italian). Agenzia ANSA. March 10, 2021. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Triceratops Big John prihaja na tržaški Veliki trg". Primorske novice (in Slovenian). July 28, 2021. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  18. ^ "Big John, il dinosauro di Trieste, si mostra dal vivo in piazza. Eventi e incontri gratuiti per tutti". Eventi & Turismo in Venezia Friuli Giulia (in Italian). August 1, 2021. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  19. ^ "Big John - The Triceratops". Turismo FVG. July 2021. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  20. ^ Premuda, Corrado (March 5, 2021). ""Un dinosauro a spasso per Trieste" scopre i segreti della città scientifica". Il Piccolo (in Italian). Finegil Editoriale SPA, a subsidiary of Gruppo Espresso. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  21. ^ a b c "Largest triceratops ever unearthed sold for €6.6m at Paris auction". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse in Paris. October 21, 2021. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021.
  22. ^ Byrne, Laura (January 18, 2023). "Meet the People Bringing 'Big John' the Triceratops to Tampa - Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine". Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  23. ^ a b Kennedy Wynne, Sharon (January 17, 2023). "Tampa's Glazer Children's Museum to receive record-setting dinosaur skeleton for new display". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  24. ^ "Triceratops Skeleton Sold at Paris Auction For Over $7 Million to American Collector" (Video). NBC News. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ a b Ashworth, James (October 22, 2021). "Largest known Triceratops fossil sells for £5.6 million". Natural History Museum, London. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  26. ^ Kundu, Kishalaya (September 3, 2021). "'Big John,' Hits The Auction Block:The world's largest known triceratops skeleton, 'Big John', will be up for auction on 21 October at Paris, where it is expected to fetch up to €1.5m". Screen rants. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Dinosaur skeletons are hot property in the global auction scene, thanks in part to movies like Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. Last year, the skeleton of an allosaurus, one of the oldest dinosaurs and a preedecessor of the T-Rex, was snapped up by an anonymous buyer for more than €3m, almost twice the estimate. However, that's a pittance compared to the record of $31.8 million that was paid for the skeleton of a T-Rex named Stan that researchers expected to fetch only between $6-$8 million.
  27. ^ Shariff, Hannah (October 9, 2020). "Meet Stan, The World's Most Expensive Tyrannosaurus Rex Fossil". Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021. On October 6, 2020, an anonymous buyer paid an astounding $27.5 million ($31.8 million with fees and costs) to own Stan, one of the world's largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex (T. rex) skeletons.
  28. ^ "Dinosaur skeleton fetches record $44.6m at New York auction". BBC. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  29. ^ a b Clifford, Douglas R.; Wynne, Sharon Kennedy (February 6, 2023). "Big John, world's largest triceratops, finds home at Glazer Children's Museum". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  30. ^ a b Zuccola, Hayli (August 18, 2023). "Philanthropists Sidd and Ami Pagidipati Make Their Mark on Tampa". Tampa Magazine. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  31. ^ "Jurassic Fortunes - About the Episode". PBS Secrets of the Dead. October 18, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.

Further reading

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