Guess how much this dodo skeleton is worth

The dodo is one of the most commonly cited examples of animal species which have gone extinct.

A rare Dodo skeleton was put on display at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, West Sussex, and will be put under the hammer on 22 November.

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The almost-complete skeleton is expected to fetch up to £500,000 at auction.

The dodo, which has become synonymous with stupidity, was first recorded in 1598 and never seen again after 1662.

The listing states: "Composed from bones originally sold at Stevens Auction Rooms in the 19th Century and assembled over the last 140 years."

Rupert van der Werf is Historical Expert at Summers Place Auctions, he said: "If you imagine there are more Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons than dodo skeletons that gives you some idea of its rarity.

"There's something like 20 relatively complete skeletons in the world and this is up there in the top handful of the best.

"One hasn't been sold for 100 years and we had to put a figure on it. We ended up putting £300,000 - £500,000 on it."

He added that the last one that was sold was around 100 years ago and the chances of another appearing are very remote.