Head of a pterosaur suspended in amber valued at £4 million in 'evolution auction'

Also on sale: giant millipede, Cretaceous-era scorpion and skull of extinct aquatic carnivore

Silke Lohmann, of Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst views a Mosasaurus head (PA Wire/PA Images)

The head of a pre-historic pterosaur preserved in amber has been valued at £4 million for an upcoming “evolution auction”.

The extinct flying lizard is among 12 lots which are said to offer buyers a glimpse of life on earth from millions of years ago.

Other pieces up for grabs include a giant millipede also caught in liquid amber, a Cretaceous-era scorpion and the skull of a Mosasaurus – a long-extinct giant aquatic carnivore.

“All of a sudden, the Jurassic Park storyline is a lot more believable," said Errol Fuller, natural history curator at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, where the sale will take place.

He added: “One hundred-million-year-old amber has fabulously preserved flora and fauna with high transparency and preservation as well as many good-sized pieces that facilitate the study of a specimen’s habitat.”

Not all the lots require a millionaire buyer: a tiny snake and giant millipede caught in amber and weighing just 3.03g is on sale with a guide price of up to £120,000, as is a mysterious long-necked eared animal – or possibly two – with skulls and claws and listed as Cretaceous Tetrapod(s).

All the lots were found in the Hukawng Valley in Myanmar except for a single lot which comes from a mine in nearby Chung Wa.

The seller’s identity has not been disclosed, although it is said all money will go to funding further research.

The auction takes place 19 November.