Dinosaur skeleton in New York auction

NEW YORK, May 2 (UPI) -- An almost-complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus dinosaur may fetch $1 million at a New York auction of fossils and gem quality minerals, auction officials said.

The main attraction at the Natural History Signature auction to be held by Heritage Auctions May 20 will be an eight-foot tall, 24-foot long, 75 percent complete Tyrannosaurus bataar, a slightly smaller cousin of T. rex, the auction house said in a release.

Tyrannosaurus bataar inhabited what is now Central Asia in the Cretaceous period around 80 million years ago.

"This beautiful Tyrannosaurus skeleton is one of the most complete, most spectacular specimens that we've ever seen," David Herskowitz, Director of Natural History at Heritage Auctions, said.

The fossil up for auction, discovered within the past decade, has been in storage in England for the last 2-1/2 years, Heritage said in its release.

"Dinosaurs of this size and scarcity almost never come to market fully prepared and fully mounted like this, making it a singular opportunity for the right collector or institution," Herskowitz said.