28 jul 2022 om 20:44 | Update: 8 uur geleden
The skeleton of a Gorgosaurus, related to the Tyrannosaurus rex, was auctioned on Thursday for 6.1 million dollars (6 million euros). The buyer, whose name has not been mentioned, managed to get the skeleton into his private collection. Scientists are concerned about the latter.
Door: Lennart ‘t HartThe auction of the skeleton took place at the famous auction house Sotheby’s in New York. It is the first time that a copy is privately owned. All other skeletons of the dinosaur species that have been found are in museums. The highest bidder may also give the skeleton a nickname.
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Scientists are concerned about the commercialization of fossils. If more dinosaur skeletons end up in private collections, that’s bad for science, the researchers argue. That way they can’t research it.
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Large dinosaur skeletons, such as that of the Gorgosaurus, are also scarce. It is estimated that there are about 50 Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) fossils in the world, ranging from an entire skeleton to a single tooth. Remains of Gorgosaurs are even rarer.
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Skeleton T. rex previously brought in $ 32 million
The Gorgosaurus lived in the late Cretaceous, ten million years earlier than the T. rex. The Gorgosaurus was smaller, but probably also faster than its feared successor.
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In recent years, large dinosaur skeletons have increasingly fallen into the hands of private individuals. A T. rex nicknamed “Stan” went under the hammer in October 2020 for nearly $32 million. The remains of a Deinonychus antirrhopus, the dinosaur that modeled for the movie’s bloodthirsty velociraptors Jurassic Park, delivered $12.4 million up.
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There is little that can be done against the private auctions of dinosaur remains. Fossils found on private land in the United States may be sold for profit. The auctions are therefore legal.
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