Its name is "Hector", it is more than 100 million years old, and its fossils were sold for more than 12 million US dollars at a Christie's auction.

Hector is the most complete skeleton of "Deinonychus antirrhopus" ever, according to Christie's.

This specimen, excavated in Montana in 2013, dates back to the Early Cretaceous period: from 115 to 108 million years ago.

The auction house says it is in "very good condition." The net share was expected to range between 4 million and 6 million dollars, according to Christie's. Instead, it was sold for 12.4 million dollars on Wednesday.

The 9-foot-long "Deinonychus," which roamed the western part of North America, was named after its distinctive and deadly claw on each foot, the auction house says.

"Deinonychus" means "terrible claw" in ancient Greek. Christie's said: "Shaped like a sickle and raised off the ground when not in use to maintain its deadly sharpness, this claw was used to disembowel its prey."

The deadly claw may be familiar to fans of the famous film series "Jurassic Park," where the Velociraptor kills the park’s guests and fights the dinosaur Rex. In fact, the Velociraptor was a small turkey-sized dinosaur mostly found in Mongolia.

Hector, only the third full skeleton ever found, has been privately owned since the excavation.

The other two complete "Deinonychus" skeletons are owned by museums: one is on display at the American Museum of Natural History.

Dinosaur fossils, especially for "famous" species like those in "Jurassic Park," have brought staggering amounts at public auctions in recent decades.

In 2020, a T. rex skeleton sold for a record $31.8 million, and in 2021, the world’s largest "Triceratops" skeleton sold for $7.7 million.