ALL OVER THE WORLD TOURISM MOST FAMOUS PLACES
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00:00Millions of years ago, the world was a vastly different place than it is today.
00:05The Earth was home to many strange lifeforms, like towering giants and elusive predators.
00:10So in today's video, we're counting down the top 15 most incredible prehistoric animals.
00:15Starting with number 15, the world's heaviest animal.
00:19Excavations in southern Peru's Ica Valley have uncovered what just may be the heaviest
00:23animal ever to grace the planet, a colossal ancient whale.
00:27It swam the seas about 39 million years ago and likely weighed two to three times more
00:32than the blue whale.
00:33Due to its size, it likely patrolled shallow waters and used an undulating swimming style.
00:38However, only research is going to provide more insight into exactly how this animal
00:43operated.
00:45Number 14.
00:46Dinotherium.
00:47Looking a lot like an elephant, the dinotherium was an incredible species in its day.
00:53Sporting two curved tusks and very flexible limbs, they could easily run, and at about
00:574 meters in height and 10 tons in weight, they were about as tall as an African elephant
01:01but far heavier.
01:03Like elephants, they were also herbivores, and while it was good for a while, the gradual
01:07change of their habitat from forested areas to grassland ultimately led to their extinction.
01:14Number 13.
01:15Crocodiles.
01:17Most prehistoric animals are long gone.
01:19The crocodile has remained a constant though.
01:22That's because while most species from millions of years ago have either evolved or gone extinct,
01:27the crocodiles of today look a lot like they did 200 million years ago.
01:32According to experts, this is because they have a slow evolutionary rate.
01:35In other words, it seems that crocodiles arrived at a body plan that was very sufficient and
01:40versatile, so much so that they didn't need to change it in order to survive.
01:45And as a result, they've continued to thrive until the present day.
01:49Number 12.
01:50Saber-toothed Tiger.
01:51At 1.2 meters in height, 1.7 meters in length, and 400 kilograms in weight, the saber-toothed
01:58tiger was smaller but heavier than most modern tigers.
02:02While it had a short, stocky build similar to that of a bear, its marquee asset were
02:06its massive teeth.
02:08At up to 30 centimeters long, they could be used for stabbing and slashing attacks, and
02:12the saber-toothed's strong neck and ability to open its mouth at a 90-degree angle supported
02:17this movement.
02:18It used this flexibility and strength to prey on large mammals.
02:21However, as time went on, newer, faster prey began to emerge.
02:25These species proved to be too speedy for the saber-toothed tiger, and by about 10,000
02:29BCE, they were extinct.
02:32Number 11.
02:33Megatherium.
02:35When you think of a sloth, chances are that a slow, small, sleepy rainforest animal comes
02:40to mind.
02:41However, in the prehistoric period, there was a ground sloth that was as large as a
02:45modern African elephant.
02:47Known as Megatherium, it was native to South America and lived between 10,000 and 5 million
02:52years ago.
02:53While they were a massive 6 meters in length and 4.5 tons in weight, these gentle giants
02:58used their large claws and teeth to feed on the leaves of trees and bushes rather than
03:03hunt.
03:04While this was enough to let them get by for quite a while, a mix of climate change and
03:07an increase in human settlement and hunting is believed to have caused the species' eventual
03:11extinction.
03:13Number 10.
03:14Stegosaurus.
03:16Of all the prehistoric herbivores out there, none were quite like the Stegosaurus.
03:20Living during the Jurassic period between 150 and 155 million years ago, this iconic
03:26dinosaur could be found across Western North America and Asia.
03:29At up to 9 meters in length and 4 tons in weight, it was essentially the size of a small
03:34school bus, and by many accounts, it was the true definition of a bird brain.
03:39After all, despite being large physically, its brain was the approximate size of a walnut,
03:45making its size-to-cognitive-function ratio extremely low.
03:49Yet despite its lack of deep thoughts, the Stegosaurus was able to do two things well,
03:54eat ferns, and deal with predators.
03:56While it could, of course, flee, this dino likely used its spiky, flexible tail to knock
04:01out predators that got too close.
04:03Contrary to popular belief, this was likely its only defensive weapon, as the 17 spikes
04:08along its back were too ill-placed to do much damage.
04:12Also known as scutes, they stuck out like two alternating rows, and according to experts,
04:16were likely used as living solar panels to regulate the Stegosaurus's temperature.
04:21Their size was enough that they may also have been used by males to attract mates, although
04:25this isn't entirely clear.
04:27Beyond being unique, in recent years the Stegosaurus has also been the subject of a lot of scientific
04:32inquiry.
04:33As recently as 2017, a promising specimen was discovered in northern China, and upon
04:38further excavation, it turned out it had a near-complete skeleton, complete with skin
04:42still existing on the bones.
04:44According to associate professor Gou Ying of the Institute of Geology and Paleontology
04:48of Lingyi University, the skin appears to have been scaly, and it was likely used to
04:53help lock moisture into its body, allowing it to adapt and survive in dry climates.
04:58As such, I think you'd agree, Stegosaurus truly was an incredible dinosaur.
05:049.
05:05The Ichthyosaurus While the Argentinosaurus may have been the
05:08largest prehistoric creature on land, the king of the oceans was the Ichthyosaurus.
05:13First emerged about 250 million years ago during the Triassic period, they were large
05:17aquatic carnivores that put most modern aquatic creatures to shame.
05:21That's because in the heft department, they were absolutely massive.
05:26While there were many subspecies of Ichthyosaurus, the largest we found is the Shastasaurus sycanensis,
05:31A whale-like creature, it measured in at up to 21 meters long, which for reference is
05:36only a few meters smaller than a blue whale, which generally measures in at 24-27 meters
05:42long.
05:43Now, in English, Ichthyosaurus means aquatic lizard, which makes sense given its looks.
05:48After all, early skeletons look a lot like lizards with fins, yet over their 160 million
05:53year period on Earth, they evolved so they eventually looked like massive fish.
05:58Their heads were long and narrow, and their jaws were lined with thin, sharp teeth, as
06:02they used these teeth to catch prey such as fish and squid.
06:05They would seek out their prey with the massive eyes that were about the size of dinner plates,
06:10and when they locked in on what they wanted for dinner, they would use their huge tails
06:13to accelerate to speeds of more than 35 kilometers an hour.
06:17In tandem, these features managed to place these predators at the top of the aquatic
06:21food chain.
06:22However, their reign couldn't last forever.
06:25About 90 million years ago, archaeologists believed that severe climate change altered
06:29water temperatures so much that they simply couldn't adapt, leading to a relatively quick
06:34demise.
06:35Yet while these species may have disappeared many years ago, it's worth noting that some
06:38of the latest discoveries surrounding them are very recent.
06:41For example, in April of 22, the largest known tooth from any Ichthyosaur was found high
06:46atop the Krakenhorn mountain in Switzerland.
06:49While this may seem strange, this was because this mountain was at the bottom of an ocean
06:53during the Triassic period.
06:54In any case, the tooth was 6 centimeters wide and 15 centimeters tall, meaning that it must
06:59have come from the mouth of a massive Ichthyosaur.
07:02However, whether or not more teeth like it will be found is anyone's guess.
07:078.
07:08Megalanium Australia is a country that's really never
07:12gotten a break.
07:13After all, while it may have warm temperatures and beautiful beaches, from the time of the
07:17dinosaurs until today, it's been filled with dangerous creatures.
07:21However, despite all the terrifying things there now, nothing quite beats its prehistoric
07:25past.
07:26That's because until about 50,000 years ago, a giant prehistoric lizard known as Megalania
07:31existed on the island.
07:33Coming in at a length of 8 meters and weighing 2,300 kilograms, it was a giant monitor lizard
07:39that was closely related to the Komodo dragon, and it weighed as much as 10 fully grown American
07:44alligators.
07:45This made it, yeah, a terrifying predator, and it spent its days dining on large marsupials,
07:50weightless birds, and giant turtles, eating as much as 45 kilos of meat per day in order
07:55to sustain itself.
07:56To overpower its prey, it would generally use its tongue to track its prey's movements,
08:01ambush it by running in at short bursts, and then using its venomous bite to quickly put
08:05it out of its misery.
08:06This venom most likely caused the prey's blood to thin, causing the victim to quickly bleed
08:11out and enter a systemic shock.
08:13Now, despite its imposing figure, it is likely that mere humans led to its demise.
08:19Researchers believe that the Megalania's body composition would have likely made it
08:22inefficient when attempting to outrun or outcompete the early human settlers.
08:27As a result, it's very likely that humans played a large role in its extinction.
08:31However, that doesn't mean that the Megalania wasn't a giant pain in the ass from a human
08:35perspective.
08:36In fact, to this day, some indigenous tribes have oral legends that likely feature this
08:40incredible creature, making them some of the oldest oral legends in human history.
08:45Interestingly enough, one of these oral legends talks about the Megalania being able to swim.
08:49The story claims that one day, a Megalania went into the ocean, fought a great white
08:53shark and won, and then brought it back to shore and ate it for dinner.
08:58And while there is still a debate as to whether or not this story accurately portrays the
09:01Megalania's swimming abilities, what is clear is that the species continues to have a cultural
09:06impact to this very day.
09:09Moving on to number 7, the Argentinosaurus.
09:12Of all the prehistoric animals on land, the Argentinosaurus was king amongst them.
09:18Holding the title of being the largest land dinosaur, it came in at a length of about
09:2237 to 40 meters, a height of about 21 meters, and a weight of about 90 to 100 tons.
09:28For reference, that's about as long as three school buses, as high as a six-story building,
09:32and as heavy as nine African elephants.
09:35It lived during the late Cretaceous period, and as its name suggests, its home region
09:39was what is now Argentina.
09:41Despite being massive, this was a gentle giant.
09:44As an herbivore, it only ate plants.
09:46In order to do so, it used its massive length, although no one knows whether it was able
09:50to hold its neck vertically, as would a giraffe, or horizontally so it could forage for leaves.
09:56In either case, it survived off a diet of leaves, and would take about 40 years to reach
10:00its adult size.
10:01Beyond its physical appearance, its eggs likely came in at a diameter of 30 centimeters, making
10:07them some of the largest eggs in history.
10:09Incredibly enough, its size wasn't enough to protect it from predators.
10:13That's because the Argentinosaurus was preyed upon by packs of Gigantosauruses and Mapusauruses.
10:19Due to their large size, these dinos were able to take down an Argentinosaurus in a
10:23team effort, and so in order to prevent this from happening, they had a few tricks up their
10:27sleeve.
10:28So while its max speed of 8 kilometers per hour made it way too slow to run away from
10:32any threats, what it did do was travel in herds in order to provide protection.
10:36They also had a very light armor to protect from the jaws of their carnivore adversaries,
10:41and a bulky tail that could knock away enemies, with many experts believing that it was strong
10:45enough to knock a carnivore out.
10:48So while they certainly could be taken down, after all, they could be bitten multiple times
10:52and bleed to death, hunting an Argentinosaurus was no easy task.
10:56To date, the only issue with this species is that no complete skeleton has been found,
11:00and as a result, we had to rely on size projections that could be inaccurate.
11:05So until a complete skeleton is unearthed, we may not be able to determine the specifics
11:09surrounding the Argentinosaurus.
11:116.
11:13A Four-Legged Whale In August of 2021, an Egyptian team of scientists
11:18discovered a prehistoric predator like no other.
11:22Considered to be 43 million years old, the fossil in question was found in the Fayyum
11:26Depression.
11:27This is a fossil-rich basin southwest of Cairo, and located near the UNESCO World Heritage
11:32Site Wadi Al-Hitan, which literally translates to Valley of the Whales in English.
11:37As the name suggests, it's filled with whales, however, since it's a desert, all of the whale
11:42fossils are buried underground.
11:44In any case, the species in question was named the Pheomycetes Anubis by the scientists,
11:49paying tribute to both the place it was found in and to the ancient Egyptian god Anubis,
11:53who was the jackal-headed god of death.
11:56In a literal sense, this is because, at least superficially, both have very similar-looking
12:00skulls, making them look somewhat familiar.
12:02However, far more importantly, it appears that this four-legged whale had fierce, powerful
12:07jaws.
12:08This likely made it the apex predator in its food chain.
12:11According to experts, it was a lot like a modern killer whale, meaning that it was,
12:16like Anubis, also a god of death towards its prey.
12:19In terms of its physical stats, the team estimates that the whale lived between 34 and 56 million
12:24years ago.
12:25It was about three meters long, with a body mass of around 600 kilograms, which for reference
12:30is similar to the upper limits of a bottlenose dolphin.
12:32However, its trademark legs were perhaps its coolest features.
12:36Believed to be fully functional, they would have allowed the creature to walk on land
12:40as easily as it swam in the sea.
12:42This allowed it to feed on small mammals, crocodiles, and whale calves, regardless of
12:46their location.
12:48Another curious feature of the fossil is the fact that it's covered in shark bites.
12:52While this temporarily put its status as god of death in dispute, the size and positioning
12:56of the bites suggest that these sharks were too small to hunt for this four-legged whale.
13:01Instead, it's far more likely that the sharks were scavengers converging on the already
13:05deceased whale carcass.
13:07It's also worth noting that the discovery of this whale was rather historic.
13:10That's because it's the first whale fossil to be discovered, named and described by an
13:14all-Arabian or Egyptian team.
13:16This in turn makes it an important achievement for the study of paleontology in Africa and
13:21in the Middle East.
13:23Number 5.
13:24The Quetzalcoatlus While this dinosaur's name may be a bit of
13:27a mouthful, the Quetzalcoatlus is easily one of the coolest prehistoric species.
13:32That's because by all accounts, it's considered to be the largest flying creature to ever
13:36live.
13:37Now, its strange name comes from its looks, as it more or less mirrors the feathered serpent
13:41god Quetzalcoatl, worshipped by the Aztecs of Mexico.
13:45And with a wingspan of about five and a half meters and a weight between 200 and 250 kilograms,
13:50it was certainly a god-sized bird.
13:52For reference, the wandering albatross, which is the largest modern flying animal, is about
13:56one and a half times smaller and 95% lighter.
14:00Unsurprisingly, such a large flying creature would be terrifying today, and for prehistoric
14:06species living 66 to 100 million years ago, it was no less frightening.
14:11Found across what is now North America, experts believe that it likely had feeding habits
14:15similar to modern storks, as it probably both scavenged for dead carcasses and preyed on
14:19small dinosaurs, snakes, and fish.
14:22However, one question that's puzzled scientists is how exactly a 250-kilo species managed
14:27to fly?
14:28One explanation by Dr. Sankar Chatterjee of Texas Tech University suggests that the dinosaur
14:33was far too large to take off on its own.
14:36As a result, it would have to rely on running downhill, as would an albatross, to pick up
14:40enough momentum, and from there, it would rely on gliding and updrafts in order to keep
14:44itself in the air.
14:46Yet a recent study from the University of Texas at Austin disagrees.
14:50This study suggests that the Quetzalcoatlus likely jumped three meters in the air before
14:55flapping its giant wings and lifting off, yet to date, the exact way in which it flew
14:59is still not entirely clear.
15:01Yet despite this ambiguity, in 1985, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
15:06or DARPA made the interesting choice of using it as the basis for an experimental unmanned
15:11aerial vehicle.
15:12Their half-scale model had a wingspan that was about as long as that of the Quetzalcoatlus,
15:17and it was, for all intents and purposes, an early version of a drone.
15:20To make things even weirder, it even had fake feathers intended to closely match the original
15:24animal of 140 million years ago.
15:27Now, as you might expect, despite looking cool, it never entered widespread production,
15:31and this experimental model is now on exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington,
15:36D.C.
15:374.
15:38Arctotherium Today, grizzly bears are one of the largest
15:42bears on the planet, however, in prehistoric times, a beast known as the Arctotherium outpaced
15:48it.
15:49Considered to be the biggest bear to ever walk the planet, it was a descendant of earlier
15:53bears that traveled to South America, when the Panamanian Land Bridge opened a connection
15:57to North America about three million years ago.
16:00While a complete skeleton is yet to be found, one of the most famous specimens was discovered
16:04in 1935 during the construction of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in La Plata City, Argentina.
16:10Including a right arm, left arm, part of a shoulder blade, and a few hand bones, experts
16:15were able to determine just from these fossilized remains that the Arctotherium likely maxed
16:20out at around 1,600 kilos and was about 3.3 meters tall.
16:25While this is about as tall as the largest grizzly and polar bears can stand, its weight
16:29made it a much more robust animal.
16:32For reference, polar bears tend to max out at around 800 kilos.
16:35This makes it twice as heavy than the largest polar bears, and about nine times heavier
16:39than the average spectacled bear, which is its closest living relative.
16:43Now despite its large size, the Arctotherium was not a hyper-carnivorous monster that fed
16:47exclusively on giant sloths and other large mammals.
16:51Instead, it was likely an omnivore that consumed veggies alongside its meat.
16:55This dietary flexibility makes its extinction about 800,000 years ago all the more confusing.
17:01After all, how was it possible for such a powerful carnivore to fail to adapt to its
17:05surroundings?
17:06Well, its changing diet may give us an insight into its demise.
17:09Based upon its size and early arrival in South America, experts believe that it started out
17:13as a very carnivorous bear that only had to compete with the Smilodon, which is a type
17:17of big cat for large prey.
17:19However, around 800,000 years ago, the other heavyweight predators began to evolve on the
17:24continent, increasing competition.
17:26This likely pushed the Arctotherium towards a more plant-heavy diet.
17:30However, whether or not this contributed to its ultimate demise is still up for debate.
17:34Now, it's worth noting that there's a chance that some of the genes of the Arctotherium
17:38still exist today.
17:39This is because a 2021 study suggests that the modern spectacled bear may have hybridized
17:44with Arctotherium as it migrated southward to South America, yet whether or not this
17:49actually happened is still not entirely clear.
17:523.
17:53The Woolly Mammoth While African Elements may be the largest
17:57land animals around today, at the tail end of the prehistoric period, the Woolly Mammoth
18:02held that title.
18:03Coming in at a height of between 3-3.4 meters and a weight of up to 4 tons, they were roughly
18:08as large as modern-day elephants, although they stood apart because they were well-adapted
18:12to withstand cold temperatures.
18:14Sporting a thick, shaggy fur coat and so well-insulated, it could survive in temperatures as low as
18:19negative 50 degrees Celsius.
18:21In order to survive that frigid environment, it would make use of its long tusks.
18:25While these tusks were useful for foraging food, they also made them formidable foes.
18:29At adult size, these tusks would allow herds of these animals to effectively defend themselves
18:33from predators.
18:34However, juveniles and weakened adults were still vulnerable to pack hunters such as wolves,
18:39cave hyenas, and large felines.
18:41Despite these challenges, they stuck around for around 500,000 years, although it was
18:45only about 10,000 years ago that they really started to struggle.
18:49While the growth of human populations led to even more deaths, experts believe that
18:53retreating ice caps were the main cause of their demise, and this destroyed the vegetation
18:57that they fed on and ruined their habitat.
19:00It's believed that this drove the woolly mammoth north, and it's likely that small populations
19:04were able to survive in the Siberian tundra until as recently as 4,000 years ago.
19:09However, in June of 2022, a certain specimen from around 30,000 years ago grabbed headlines
19:15when it was found almost completely intact.
19:17The story goes that a miner was digging for gold deposits in the Canadian Arctic when
19:21he saw a dark, shiny animal with short legs emerge.
19:25Suspecting he found a mummified baby buffalo, Mudry began inspecting the creature, however,
19:30he was in for a shock after he realized that the animal had a trunk.
19:34Experts were quickly called in, and after miraculously retrieving the remains just an
19:38hour before a storm struck, it was determined to be the body of a woolly mammoth.
19:42The experts who investigated her believe she was probably a month old when she got stuck
19:46in the mud while grazing, leading to her being abandoned by her mother.
19:50The end result was an unfortunate death, yet due to the permafrost, soft tissue like
19:54her muscle, skin, and hair were all perfectly preserved.
19:58Named Nunchogah by local elders, she now holds the title of being the first complete baby
20:03woolly mammoth found in North America, and only the second complete specimen to be found
20:07on the entire planet.
20:092.
20:10The Megalodon If you like hanging out at the beach, then
20:14you should probably be thankful that the Megalodon no longer exists.
20:18Reaching in at between 15 to 18 meters in length, it was about three times longer than
20:23the largest recorded great white shark, and seemed to have lived in all the world's oceans
20:28with the exception of those around Antarctica.
20:30Considered by many experts to be the largest fish to ever exist on planet Earth, it came
20:35in at a max of about 25 meters and maybe a max weight of about 65 tons.
20:40However, what's really shocking about this species is its incredibly large jaws.
20:45Its bite diameter was about three meters, meaning practically anything could get into
20:49its mouth.
20:51In order to clamp onto prey, it would make use of triangular, serrated, and symmetrical
20:55teeth very similar to that of a modern-day great white.
20:58About 276 of them lined its jaws, and at about 18 centimeters in length, they were three
21:03times larger than those of a modern-day great white.
21:06This large bite radius and these massive teeth made it virtually impossible for any prey
21:11to escape from its grasp.
21:13If that wasn't crazy enough, the megalodon also had the ability to switch between being
21:16warm and cold-blooded through the contraction of their swimming muscles.
21:20This contraction raised its body temperature so it was hotter than the surrounding water
21:24in a process known as regional endothermy.
21:27It's believed that this rare adaptation might have allowed the megalodon to swim and hunt
21:31in colder waters, giving it the exclusive access to prey in those locations.
21:35It's likely due to these crazy physical abilities that the megalodon was the apex predator of
21:40the world's oceans for about 17.5 million years.
21:44However, around 2.5 million years ago, worldwide water temperatures plummeted, and the number
21:49of organisms at the bottom of the food chain plummeted too.
21:52This led to the predators at the top having a lack of prey, and while their range contracted,
21:57they attempted to go to more suitable areas.
21:59The megalodon ultimately went extinct.
22:01In 2022, supposedly, a megalodon hit the news after researchers picked up a recording of
22:06what appeared to be a 15-meter-long and 36-ton shark using a C-scanner.
22:11An accompanying screenshot was even shaped like a shark, leading many to believe that
22:15the megalodon may still exist.
22:18However, after further investigations, the recording turned out to be simply a school
22:22of Atlantic mackerel, causing the excitement of the researchers and those following along
22:26on the internet to quickly fade away.
22:291.
22:31Tyrannosaurus rex No list of prehistoric animals would be complete
22:36without the one and only Tyrannosaurus rex, known as T. rex for short.
22:41Its name translates to Tyrant Lizard in English, and it existed right before the extinction
22:45of the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago.
22:49Living in what is now western North America, it was nothing short of an alpha predator
22:53within its habitat, coming in at 12 meters in length, 4 meters in height, and about 6
22:59tons in weight.
23:00For reference, it was about as large as a school bus.
23:03Beyond its size, it also had some pretty crazy physical characteristics too.
23:07For example, its strong thighs and a powerful tail allowed it to counterbalance its large
23:11head, enabling it to run at max speeds of about 45 kilometers an hour, despite its awkward
23:16shape.
23:17This speed allowed it to chase down its prey pretty easily, which it could then chomp down
23:21on with its impressive set of teeth.
23:24Measuring in at as much as 30 centimeters in length, these teeth were both serrated
23:28and wide, and were arranged in such a way that they could withstand the force of a struggling
23:33dinosaur.
23:34These teeth were so good at their job that they could take down 230 kilograms of flesh
23:38in a single bite, ensuring that their prey would not get away.
23:43Generally speaking, this prey consisted of benign herbivores such as Edmontosaurus and
23:47Triceratops, and due to their relatively small size, they were no match for the T rex.
23:51Interestingly enough, many experts also believe that while the T rex's arms may have played
23:55a larger role in how it interacted in an environment, internet memes ridiculed T rex
24:00arms for being tiny.
24:01They were in fact quite large, coming in at up to a meter long and being able to carry
24:06up to 180 kilograms.
24:08This in turn made them quite useful.
24:11To date, only a few T rex skeletons have been found.
24:13In total, there's numbers less than 100, and only about 30 of them have been anything close
24:17to a full skeleton.
24:19Of all those, Sue is the most complete one to have been found.
24:23Found on August 12, 1990, by American explorer and fossil collector Sue Hendrickson, the
24:28T rex was named after her and found in the U.S. state of South Dakota.
24:32A final tally of the bones discovered that the T rex was more than 90% intact.
24:36However, immediately afterwards, a series of ownership disputes erupted.
24:40You see, the Black Hills Institute, which was the group that Sue Hendrickson was a part
24:45of, had obtained permission from the owner of the land, Maurice Williams, to excavate
24:49and remove the skeleton.
24:50They paid Williams $5,000 in return.
24:53However, once the skeleton was discovered, Williams claimed that the money had not been
24:57for the sale of the fossil, and that he had instead only allowed Black Hills to remove
25:01and clean the fossil for a later sale.
25:04To make matters even more complicated, the property where the fossil had been found was
25:07held in trust by the United States Department of the Interior, and this resulted in a very
25:12complex ownership situation.
25:14However, the ultimate decision was that because the land was U.S. federal property, the Black
25:18Hills Institute had acted illegally by digging there, and the Feds went on to charge many
25:23of its members for both Sue's discovery and a host of other illegal digging operations.
25:28However, despite the fact that the T rex was in the hands of the Feds, it was decided that
25:32the bones ultimately belonged to a landowner, Maurice Williams.
25:36In any case, once all the legal battles were settled, Sue was auctioned off for a whopping
25:40$8.3 million in October of 1997.
25:44At the time, this was the highest amount ever paid for a dinosaur fossil, and it's held
25:48the title for the next 23 years.
25:50Thankfully, it wasn't a private owner, but a series of donors on behalf of Chicago's
25:54Field Museum that were behind the purchase.
25:57As a result, Sue is now permanently on display there, although she is currently on temporary
26:01display at the Royal BC Museum in the Canadian city of Victoria.
26:05Thanks for watching guys, I'll see you next time.