DUBAI — A massive 155-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton will be up for grabs for lovers of rare collectibles as Emirates Auction announced it will organize the Middle East’s first auction to sell the giant dinosaur skeleton.

The online auction will be staged by Emirates Auction, the leading company in the field of auctions in the Middle East which specializes in organizing and managing public and electronic auctions, at a starting value of AED14.6 million and will end on August 25.

The 24.4-meter-long by 7-meter-high skeleton, which dates back to the Jurassic period, is the first of its kind in the world to be installed at the Dubai Mall. Back then the 25-year-old dinosaur weighed up to five elephants and was one of the long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs and has a tail tapering to a long, thin whip-like end to defend itself against predators.

The dinosaur belongs to the Diplodocus longus variety, deriving it from the Greek words "diplos," meaning "double," and "dokos" meaning "beam." Interestingly, the displayed bones belonging to the same auctioned animal, which makes it exceptionally special. In addition, nearly 90 per cent of the fossil’s bones are original, making it a stunning discovery in the history of palaeontology. The remains of the adult dinosaur were discovered in a sleeping position in 2008 at the Dana Quarry in the US state of Wyoming.

The auction will be an ideal opportunity for those looking for excellence to supplement their collections with a historic masterpiece rarely found around the world.

The specimen was previously displayed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in the US state of Texas. It was sourced through Khalid Seddiq, founder of Etihad Modern Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi and was put on permanent display at The Dubai Mall in 2014. — SG