A near-complete skeleton of a diplodocus, a giant dinosaur that roamed the western US 160 million years ago, was sold to an as-yet unidentified public institution on Wednesday. The auction took place at Summers Place Auctions, in Billingshurst.

The dinosaur, known as Misty, was discovered by the teenage sons of a Raimund Albersdoerfer, a German palaeontologist. They were digging in a quarry in Wyoming four years ago when they stumbled across the find. Because the dinosaur was found on private land, they were able to take it out of the States. The skeleton was assembled in Rotterdam.

At the moment it is not publicly known where Misty will end up. More likely than not, the purchase was made by a museum.

Photo credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire.