The first sale of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in Europe could mean the fossils end up in a private collection, making it harder for researchers to study them, scientists fear.
The 67-million-year-old skeleton, nicknamed Trinity, will be sold next month at the Koller auction house in Zurich, Switzerland.
At 3.9 meters (12.8 feet) tall, Trinity has been estimated at six to eight million Swiss francs (£4.5-7.2 million).
Some experts believe that the high price may put Trinity out of the reach of most museums. They are concerned that it will be sold to an ultra-rich buyer and join the growing list of scientifically priceless fossils.
“The Trinity auction is the tip of a very ugly and sprawling iceberg in which everyone interested in the natural world, from schoolchildren to scientists, is losing out,” said Dr. Thomas Carr of Carthage College in Wisconsin, who tracks T-Rex fossils. told The times.
Described by the auction house as “one of the most magnificent T-Rex skeletons in existence,” Trinity is made up of the bones of three dinosaurs, one of the largest predators ever to walk the Earth.
The fossils were excavated between 2008 and 2013 from the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations in Montana and Wyoming, USA, Kohler said.
The sites are known for the discovery of two other significant T-Rex skeletons that have been auctioned.
A sale of a T-Rex skeleton could fetch more than £7 million
(OLIVER NANZIG/KOHLER AUCTION HOUSE/AFP via GETTY IMAGES)
Sue sold in 1997 for $8.4m (£6.9m) and Stan, which in 2020 fetched a world record $31.8m (£26.1m) at Christie’s.
Koller said he could not identify the current owner, saying only that it came from a private collection.
Professor Steve Brusat of the University of Edinburgh said Trinity was a “Frankenstein rex” with pieces from different fossils mixed and matched.
“However, these fossils are rare and scientifically important, and I feel they properly belong in a museum where they can be kept safe, studied by scientists, and inspire children and members of the public of all ages,” he said.
JP Morgan, John D.
Recently, celebrities have fought over them. Nicolas Cage outbid Leonardo DiCaprio to buy the skull of a Tyrannosaurus bataar, a relative of the T-Rex, at an auction in Beverly Hills in 2007.