Earlier this week, International auction house Christies, held a Natural History sale in Paris , that was a dream come true for any paleontologist or lover of natural history.

That's because most of the items that were being auctioned, were from the pre-historic times and included skeletons of dinosaurs and fish - some estimated to be more than 53 million years old.

Among the 100 specimens up for sale, was the skeleton of an Ophtalmosaurus, a fish that resembled the dolphin and inhabited the Earth during the Jurassic period. Estimated to be at least 144 million years old, the fish was sold for $240,000 USD.

Also on the auction block was a rare complete skeleton of a sabre-toothed tiger, caught in action, hunting an oreodont, an herbivore pre-historic prey, that resembled the modern-day sheep. This specimen is one of the only three complete sabre-toothed tiger skeletons in existence. The other two are in museums.

Estimated to be between 23 to 53 million years old, the skeleton was expected to fetch over $150,000 USD.

Another equally amazing piece of history were the fossils of a family of a Psittacoraurus dinosaur, complete with the mother and nine babies. Paleontologists believe that the entire family had died instantly from a natural disaster, such as a landslide or earthquake. Estimated to be about 135 million years old, it was priced at over $250,000 USD.

There were also a number of smaller items, including a fossilized gemstone known as Ammonite (pic below). Believed to be that of a mollusk that inhabited the earth 80 million years ago, the fossil developed the beautiful rainbow colors from centuries of water pressure. The Ammonite was priced at $68,000 USD.

For those who were looking for something slightly cheaper, there was a giant pre-historic clam and an egg from the Giant Elephant Bird of Madagascar. (http://www.dogonews.com/2009/03/27/would-you-pay-7-000-usd-for-this-egg).

As you can see, the price of even the more reasonable items are not for the faint of heart, but according to Christies, they have become quite coveted by rich individuals, especially after the release of the Jurassic Park movies.

Sources: Dailymail.co.uk,arcadja.com, luxurylaunches.com