Nearly Complete Fossil Psittacosaurus Dinosaur Skeleton

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Exceptional Day 2 Ethnographic Tribal Fossils...

By Artemis Gallery

May 23, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-05-23 10:00:00 2019-05-23 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Day 2 Ethnographic Tribal Fossils https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-day-2-ethnographic-tribal-fossils-4136
Day 2 of an important 2-day auction featuring exceptional ethnographic art from around the world. Today's sale will feature Pre-Columbian from the ancient americas, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, and incredible Fossils. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Central/Eastern Asia, China, Early Cretaceous, ca. 126 to 101 million years ago. A fantastically preserved, near complete skeleton of Psittacosaurus, a ceratopsian dinosaur who lived in the area that is today Mongolia, Siberia, China, and Thailand. As adults, they stood on their powerful back legs, with their heads held high, as this example's pose demonstrates. Their skull resembles that of a parrot - indeed, that is the origin of the name, as parrots are Psittaciformes - with a pronounced beak. The skull of this example is particularly well preserved (see color inverted photo) and its form is very clear. Indeed, the Psittacosaurus skull is very interesting compared to other ornithischian dinosaurs, with an almost round profile and the eye placed relatively far down the snout. In life, scientists theorize that these animals had keratin around the bony beak, creating a blade-like form for cutting through plants. Size: 31.75" W x 13.25" H (80.6 cm x 33.7 cm); 14.5" H (36.8 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Recent research has given us a better idea of what this animal would have looked like in life. A Psittacosaurus found in the Yixian Formation of eastern China had some preserved body covering, revealing that the animal was covered in scales and possibly feathers. Another study from two different fossil finds in 2016 revealed that the animal, which would have lived in dense forest, may have had counter shaded coloring, similar to deer, with stripes and spots that camouflaged it. The tail would have had a series of stiff bristles rising from it. In life, this creature would have had large eyes and an excellent sense of smell, its body evolved to evade predators as it browsed the Cretaceous forests. The dynamic pose you see it in here allows you to imagine it as it was in life.
  
  Provenance: A Coin Exchange, Tarzana, California, USA; bought from Richard Kosta, Los Angeles, California, USA, in 2008
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #145988

  Condition

  Repaired and restored from many pieces. Less than 10% new material. Mounted on a steel frame. Skull is removable from the frame. The skull itself is in fairly good condition with limited restoration, mainly limited to the eye sockets. Some small losses to the spinal processes. One of the back leg bones is completely fabricated.
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