Story highlights Skeleton of dodo, assembled by collector over more than 40 years, sold at auction in the UKDodo skeletons are "extremely rare" -- there are only twelve relatively complete specimens worldwideThe dodo, a flightless bird from the island of Mauritius, was hunted to extinction in the 17th centuryLondon (CNN) The dodo may be long gone, but it is certainly not forgotten: An "extremely rare" almost complete example of the extinct bird's skeleton has sold for £346,300 ($431,341) at a UK auction. A dedicated collector spent more than 40 years buying up individual bones at sales, and piecing the composite skeleton together -- only part of the skull and one set of claws are missing. The specimen was dubbed the "superstar" of the Evolution-themed sale at Summers Place auction house in Sussex, southeastern England. The Summers Place skeleton is believed to be the first sold since 1914. Fuller said the story of the dodo had fascinated generations of natural history fans.

Source: CNN November 23, 2016 18:51 UTC