The complete skeleton of a Gorgosaurus will be auctioned off in July.
The specimen is a small cousin of the rex. There was a discovery in the Judith River Formation. It will sell for between $5 million and $8 million according to the auction house's estimate.
There have been a number of high-profile sales of dinosaur skeletons in the past few years, but experts say it's hard to say if they've become more common.
A tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named "Stan" sold for more than 30 million dollars. Some celebrities have participated in fossil auctions.
There is a worrying trend in which rare fossils could be lost to science.
Private collecting of fossils may prevent them from being seen by the public and studied, according to experts in the field.
Thomas Carr is a Paleontologist at Carthage College.
Most of the Gorgosaurus skeletons found in Canada have been found in the US.
"In my career, I have had the privilege of handling and selling many exceptional and unique objects, but few have the ability to inspire wonder and capture imaginations quite like this unbelievable Gorgosaurus skeleton," according to the The Associated Press.
The perception that dinosaur fossils' value is monetary, rather than scientific, is fed by high-profile auctions.
Dinosaur fossils have information in their bones that makes them valuable. The loss of a mountain of data for a scientist is equal to the loss of one skeleton to a private buyer.
Fossil owners can deny public access to the specimen, or resell it, making it difficult for researchers to conduct long-term analyses, verify previous research, and ask new scientific questions.
According to Victoria Arbour, curator of paleontology at the Royal BC Museum in Canada, many countries have laws in place to protect fossils wherever they are found. If dinosaur bones are found on federal land in the US, permits are required to collect them.
Dinosaur experts are concerned that fossils are being sold to the highest bidder. Most museums work directly with commercial dealers. It does not cost $5 million to collect a Gorgosaurus. It doesn't cost much, but the profit margins are high on these items.
Fossil auctions may encourage people to steal bones instead of leaving them for paleontologists to study.
The rare reptile track fossils dating back at least 200 million years were stolen from Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. P. David Polly is a paleontologist at Indiana University. The more commercial value that's attached to fossils, the more likely someone will want to break into it and steal something.
After the sale, not all fossils are accessible. The most complete T. rex ever found was sold to the Field Museum for more than $8.3 million in 1997.
The public and researchers don't have the right to know the location of a fossil if it is purchased by a private individual. Arbour said that they don't know where the fossils end up.
It's really unfortunate, because these really interesting specimen might disappear from scientific accessibility.
The dinosaur skeleton was sold to an anonymous person in 2020. National Geographic reported that it was going to a future natural history museum in Abu Dhabi. The fossil's final home in a museum may alleviate concerns that it will become accessible to scientists.
Polly, a paleontologist, stressed that there is no guarantee that the fossils will be donated to museums.
Polly said that even the best intentioned collector has little control over what happens to fossils after they die.
The original article was published by Business Insider.
There is more from Business Insider.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
