DALLAS, TX.- The largest example ever recorded of one of the most instantly recognizable of all fossils could bring as much as $1 million in Heritage Auctions’ Nature & Science Auction Sept. 28 in Dallas, Texas.

An Extremely Rare Saber-Tooth Cat Skull – The Iconic American Fossil (estimate: $700,000-1,000,000) is one of fewer than 10 full skulls ever brought to auction. Excavated from the Rancho La Brea Formation, which has produced the most desirable among Saber-Tooth Cat fossils, the offered skull is a magnificent example of the fossil coveted by serious collectors. Fossils from the Rancho La Brea Formation, which has been closed to private collectors for nearly 50 years, are so rare in private collections that they rarely get brought to auction. This specimen is unmatched in its completeness and size, and rates high in both scientific integrity and desirability. Merriam & Stock records the largest Smilodon Fatalis skull in the Los Angeles County Museum collection at 324.7 millimeters from the anterior edge of the premaxilla to the end of the occipital condyles; the offered specimen measures 355.5 mm, making it one of the largest ever recorded.

A Rare Theropod Dinosaur Skull (estimate: $250,000-350,000) is an extraordinary specimen from an ancient riverbed in the renowned Morrison Formation’s Bone Cabin Quarry in south central Wyoming. This largely complete and exceedingly rare Jurassic theropod is unquestionably of museum-worthy quality. This massive (60 inches long by 42 inches high by 23-1/2 inches wide) specimen is roughly 70 percent complete and includes 12 original teeth. Dinosaur skulls are extremely rare fossils, and a carnivorous dinosaur skull is even more uncommon. This skull is enormous and striking, an ideal centerpiece for wherever it ends up on display.

A Ferocious “Bulldog” Fossil Fish Skeleton (estimate: $200,000-300,000) is an impressive specimen from a species of large, aggressive bony fish with a thick-boned skull and a mouth full of sharp, piercing teeth. This fossil measures 15 feet, 10 inches, among the largest of a fish known to reach 18 feet in length. These aggressive fish, shaped like the modern tarpon, were distinguished by their heavy bony head and long, thick body, characteristics that are represented perfectly in this superb specimen from the chalk deposits in the Niobrara Formation in Kansas.

A Double Fossil Palm Frond (estimate: $80,000-120,000) from the Green River Formation in Wyoming is one of the more uncommon fossils found in the prolific Lagerstätte, but finding two in a natural association with immense size and dramatic visual appeal is a rarity that is in extremely high demand among collectors. The large offered plate features a pair of Fossil Palm Fronds in a unique orientation, similar to two interlocking gear wheels. The corner of the geometric rock houses a Priscacara fish, adding to the museum-worthy quality of the lot.

Also from Wyoming’s Green River Formation comes a Superb Fossil Turtle Skeleton (estimate: $50,000-70,000), an absolute rarity that is exceptionally well-preserved in an exceptional layout, with the dorsal side exposed and with the full skeleton articulated with the skull, neck and three of its limbs extended. The large carapace (top shell) measures 16 inches across and is fully intact, with visible suture patterns and surface ornamentation; the bottom shell is presumed to be in the rock underneath the fossil. Some pelvic bones are visible near the tail, and a disarticulated group of bones from the right hind limb are exposed. Fossil turtles usually are found in shell fragments, making an exceptional complete and articulated specimen like the one offered here extremely scarce.

Other top lots include, but are not limited to:

• Rhodochrosite (estimate: $40,000-60,000).

• A Fossil Snake (estimate: $15,000-25,000).

• A Gibeon Meteorite Cube (estimate: $12,000-18,000).

• A Fossil Crab (estimate: $5,000-7,000).

The sale follows Heritage Auctions’ Rock H. Currier Collection of Fine Minerals Auction, which boasted 100% sell-through rates by value and by lots sold. The sale crushed pre-auction expectations with its final total of $3,403,406.