Sotheby's auction to feature prehistoric remains of flying 'Horus' and swimming 'Nessie'

July 11 (UPI) -- The fossilized prehistoric skeletons of a flying Pteranodon and marine reptile Plesiosaur, believed to have inspired the legend of the Loch Ness monster, will go up for auction later this month at Sotheby's in New York.

Sotheby's announced the unusual auction items named "Horus" and "Nessie," which date "as far back as 190 million years ago," Tuesday as part of its national history auction.

A public exhibition of the mounted skeletons will open July 20 ahead of the live auction on July 26.

The auction house is advertising "Horus" the Pteranodon as "one of the largest, and most fearsome flying species ever to roam Earth" with an estimated value of $4 million to $6 million. The aerial predator with a 20-foot wingspan from the late Cretaceous period was discovered in 2002, buried in a seabed in what was once the Western Interior Seaway that divided the continent of North America.

"Nessie", the Plesiosaur from the lower Jurassic period, is being called the "best-preserved ever offered on the market" with a value of between $600,000 and $800,000 and measuring 11 feet in length. It is believed to have inspired the Loch Ness monster legend with its long neck, small head and affinity for water.

Last November, Christie's Auction House canceled the sale of a T. Rex skeleton after a paleontologist raised concerns that the bones belonged to another dinosaur.

For Sotheby's, the Pteranodon and Plesiosaur are not the first fossils to be auctioned. A Gorgosaurus skeleton was sold in July and the first sale of a standalone Tyrannosaurus rex skull was sold in December. A Tyrannosaurus rex named Sue was sold in 1997.

"More than 25 years since the groundbreaking sale of Sue, the T-Rex at Sotheby's, we are very excited to now turn our attention to its predatory peers of the sky and the sea," Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's global head of science and popular culture, said in a statement.

"'Horus' the Pteranodon and 'Nessie' the Plesiosaur spotlight a different side of Earth's prehistory, showing the range of extraordinary creatures that once called this planet home," Hatton added, without identifying who was selling either fossil.

"Both of these species have long played an important role in our collective imaginations, from inspiring ancient folklore and myths to appearing in Hollywood blockbusters and television shows. They are each instantly recognizable and are remarkable witnesses to the incredible evolutionary power that has shaped life on Earth for eons."