Dinosaur fossils and bones

Dinosaur fossils and bones provide a direct link to prehistoric life, shaped over millions of years by natural processes. Ranging from individual bones to larger skeletal elements, the differences in preservation, mineralisation and texture give each piece its own distinct character. Certain forms are more commonly encountered: dinosaur teeth, for instance, are relatively abundant, as large carnivorous species regularly shed them, while their enamel aids preservation. Fossilised eggs also survive, though attributing them to a specific species often involves informed speculation, as they are rarely found alongside the animals that produced them.

Dinosaur fossils sold at Christie's include the record-breaking US$31.8 million STAN the T. rex in 2020, a rare Deinonychus in 2022, and the 2024 Jurassic Icons auction, where Allosaurus and Stegosaurus fossils achieved a combined £12.4 million.

The tooth of a Tyrannosaurus Rex

Montana, USA

TYRANNOSAURUS REX

SOUTH DAKOTA, USA

DEINONYCHUS ANTIRRHOPUS

MONTANA, USA

ADULT AND JUVENILE ALLOSAURUS

WYOMING, USA

STEGOSAURUS

WYOMING, USA

An Oviraptorosaur

South Dakota, USA

THE SKULL OF A JUVENILE TRICERATOPS

HELL CREEK FORMATION, MONTANA, USA.

A DODO SKELETON

MAURITIUS, BEFORE 1690

A LARGE IRIDESCENT AMMONITE

CANADA

TWO ICHTHYOSAURS MOUNTED IN FIGHTING POSE

HOLZMADEN, GERMANY

Six Tyrannosaurus rex teeth

South Dakota, USA

THE SKULL OF A TRICERATOPS

HELL CREEK FORMATION, MONTANA

THE SKULL OF A TRICERATOPS

HELL CREEK FORMATION, MONTANA, USA.

A LARGE TYRANNOSAURUS REX TOOTH

SOUTH DAKOTA, USA

A very rare survival of fossilised dinosaur skin and vertebrae

Montana, USA

AN ELEPHANT BIRD EGG

MADAGASCAR, PRE-17TH CENTURY

A LARGE IRIDESCENT AMMONITE

CANADA

THE LEG OF A TYRANNOSAURID

MONTANA, USA

A MONUMENTAL SLICE OF BANDED MARRA MAMBA TIGER EYE SPECIMEN

MT BROCKMAN STATION, AUSTRALIA

AN INTACT ELEPHANT BIRD EGG

MADAGASCAR, PRE-17TH CENTURY

A LARGE ICHTHYOSAUR

GERMANY

A SCULPTURAL PARTIAL SKULL OF A TRICERATOPS

Montana, USA

A LARGE IRIDESCENT AMMONITE

BEARPAW FORMATION, CANADA

A LARGE IRIDESCENT AMMONITE

Alberta, Canada

A PTEROSAUR

SOLNHOFEN, GERMANY

A VERY LARGE FOSSIL CROCODILE

GERMANY

ELEPHANT BIRD EGG

MADAGASCAR, PRE-17TH CENTURY

AN ELEPHANT BIRD EGG

MADAGASCAR, PRE-17TH CENTURY

AN INTACT ELEPHANT BIRD EGG

MADAGASCAR, PRE-17TH CENTURY

A LARGE FOSSIL PALM FLOWER

GREEN RIVER, WYOMING, USA

A LARGE FOSSIL FISH TRIPTYCH

GREEN RIVER FORMATION, WYOMING USA

AN IMPRESSIVE AND MONUMENTAL PLAQUE OF FOSSILIZED SCALLOPS

Southern France

A LARGE IRIDESCENT AMMONITE

CANADA

AN INTACT ELEPHANT BIRD EGG

MADAGASCAR, PRE-17TH CENTURY

A SABER-TOOTHED CAT

SOUTH DAKOTA

A LARGE FOSSIL SEALILY

GERMANY

AN INTACT ELEPHANT BIRD EGG

MADAGASCAR, PRE-17TH CENTURY

AN ENORMOUS FOSSIL FISH

KANSAS, USA

A TRIPLE FOSSIL SEALILY PLAQUE

GERMANY

TWO IRIDESCENT AMMONITES

CANADA

A NEST OF THREE FOSSIL DINOSAUR EGGS

FRANCE

A FOSSIL SEA LILY PLAQUE

HOLZMADEN, GERMANY

A FOSSIL ICHTHYOSAUR

POSIDONIENSCHIEFER FORMATION, GERMANY

A FOSSILISED GIANT PALM FROND

Green River Formation, Wyoming

A LARGE SLICE OF PETRIFIED WOOD

NORTHERN ARIZONA

A FINE UNCOILED SPINY AMMONITE

FRANCE

An ICHTHYOSAUR

A LARGE IRIDESCENT AMMONITE

CANADA

A Pterodactyl

Solnhofen, Germany

A LARGE DOUBLE-CURVED WOOLLY MAMMOTH TUSK

TAYMYR, RUSSIA