Posted on 04/17/2019 11:50:47 AM PDT by centurion316
You wouldn’t normally associate the world of dutiful natural history preservation with sporadic bursts of all-caps letters and exclamation points – or at least not until last month, when the fossil of an infant Tyrannosaurus rex, potentially the only in existence, went on sale on eBay for the “buy it now” price of $2.95m.
The listing reads: “Most Likely the Only BABY T-Rex in the World! It has a 15 FOOT long Body and a 21” SKULL with Serrated Teeth! This Rex was very a very dangerous meat eater. It’s a RARE opportunity indeed to ever see a baby REX…”
The skeleton, estimated to be 68m years old, was first discovered in 2013, on private land in Montana. It became the property of the man who discovered it, Alan Detrich, a professional fossil hunter. In 2017, Detrich lent the fossil to the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, where it was still on display when Detrich made the surprise decision to put it up for auction.
Analysis of the skeleton may help to settle a major debate in palaeontology over whether small Tyrannosaurs from North America are infants or should have the separate classification of Nanotyrannus. Such research may now be impossible with the fossil likely to end up in a private collection.
The Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology (SVP) has criticised both Detrich, who will be taking an important specimen outside the reach of scientific study, and the university, for helping to inflate the price of the fossil, acting as a shop window for professional buyers.
In an open letter published last week, SVP’s members said that it was regrettable that the fossil was exhibited before it could be studied. “That action, which brought the fossil to the attention of hundreds or thousands of visitors, potentially enhanced its value,” ...
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Better get that neutered before it turns mean.
Bang a gong.
I wonder if it will prove my theory that all brontosauruses are thin at one end, much much thicker in the middle and then thin again at the far end.
If someone discovers something on my land he owns it instead of me? Or did the land owner already get his cut?
Wonder if it was post birth aborted
I am not privy to the arrangement between the fossil hunter and the land owner
I placed two bids. One on that and one on the item right next to it - the Brooklyn Bridge. I’m hoping to win the bid on at least one of them.
Marc Bolan sees what you did.
I wish I had three million bucks.
I wouldn’t spend it on this.
If I want to see some old bones, I’ll go see Hillary.
The fossil hunter almost certainly bought digging rights that gave him ownership of the fossils found.
Jeepster…
It sounds like they just want access to it for free.
If someone discovers something on my land he owns it instead of me? Or did the land owner already get his cut?
...
I’ve read in other recent fossil articles that the private collectors will pay a fee or lease the land for the rights to hunt for and keep the fossils.
If I want to see some old bones, I’ll go see Hillary.
Someone could make a lot of money selling 3D printed T-rex skulls.
If I want to see some old bones, I’ll go see Hillary.
—
No bones to see there. She’s all cankle.
Elitism. Many academics and experts feel that they are entitled to control and moral judgement over everything related to their field.
The attitude is the worst with social scientists, which, IMHO, is why they are all statists and leftists.
Is someone who pays $2.5 million for a T-Rex fossil going to use it for target practice? They will probably protect and preserve it better than many museums.
If the Paleontologists are so worried about losing access to the fossil they can always chip in and buy it.
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