A maverick fossil hunter has put the remains of what he claims is the ‘world’s only juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex’ up for sale on eBay for $2.95 million (£2.26m).
Alan Detrich, who isn’t a trained palaeontologist, loaned his unique find to the University of Kansas’ (KU) Natural History Museum (NHM) two years ago, which they displayed for more than a year.
The 68-million-year-old skeleton, dubbed ‘Son of Samson’, was discovered by Mr Detrich and his brother in 2013 on private land in Montana.
The collector has now decided to list the bones on the auction site and academics are up in arms over the move, which they fear could see the specimen lost to science and may inflate the cost of buying fossils in future.
Researchers say study of the bones could lead to a breakthrough in the debate over whether such small skeletons are simply immature T Rexes, or whether they represent an entirely distinct species of dinosaur.
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A maverick fossil hunter has put the fossilised remains of what he claims is the ‘world’s only juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex’ up for sale on Ebay for $2.95 million (£2.26m). This image shows a recreation of the dinosaur’s neck and skull on display at the University of Kansas’ Natural History Museum
Experts from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) in Bethesda, Maryland, said In an open letter that they are concerned because the fossil will no longer be available for study.
They also claim Mr Detrich used the fossil’s scientific importance, including its exhibition status at KU, as part of his advertising strategy.
In the initial eBay listing, Mr Detrich’s sales pitch for the fossil highlighted it ties to the university, prompting the school to tweet that it’s not involved in the sale.
Writing in the letter its authors, Drs Emily Rayfield, Jessica Theodor and P David Polly, said: ‘Vertebrate fossils are rare and often unique.
‘Scientific practice demands that conclusions drawn from the fossils should be verifiable: scientists must be able to reexamine, re-measure, and reinterpret them – such reexamination can happen decades or even centuries after the fact.
‘Furthermore, technological advances, new scientific questions, and opportunities for synthetic research mean that new research often utilizes fossils that were originally collected with other purposes in mind.
‘For these reasons, our Society’s bylaws explicitly state that “The barter, sale, or purchase of scientifically significant vertebrate fossils is not condoned, unless it brings them into, or keeps them within, a public trust”.’
KU has since pulled the fossil from public view after anger erupted over the sale.
Alan Detrich, who isn’t a trained palaeontologist, loaned his unique find to University of Kansas’ (KU) Natural History Museum (NHM) two years ago, which they restored and displayed for more than a year. This image shows fragments of bones over an outline of the dinosaur’s skull
The 68-million-year-old skeleton, dubbed ‘Son of Samson’, was discovered by Mr Detrich and his brother in 2013 on private land in Montana. This image shows bones from the reverse side of the skull over an outline
Son of Sampson’s limb proportions may lead to new findings over whether fragments of small T-Rexes found in North America are actually members of a theoretical species of dinosaur called Nanotyrannus, experts say.
This research cannot be conducted scientifically until bones belonging to the creatures, of which Son of Samson is believed to be one of the most complete specimens, are permanently available for study, they add.
‘The issue here is reproducibility in science,’ Thomas Carr, a palaeontologist who studies the growth of tyrannosaurs at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, told Science.
Dr Carr told the magazine that his research is crippled by the fact that dozens of known T. rex skeletons are housed in private collections or commercial stock rooms.
‘There are about 34 specimens I’m aware of that I just cannot study,’ he added.
Mr Detrich has now decided to put it up for sale on the auction site and academics are up in arms over the move, which they fear could see the specimen lost to science and may inflate the cost of buying fossils in future. This image shows the bones on display at the museum
Researchers say study of the bones could lead to a breakthrough in the debate over whether such small skeletons are simply immature T Rexes, or whether they represent an entirely distinct species of dinosaur. This image shows the creature’s ribs
Mr Detrich said he originally shared his rare fossil because ‘the public ought to get to see it,’ the Lawrence Journal-World reported.
Mr Detrich said he and his brother unearthed the 68-million-year-old bones from a four-year-old T. rex in 2013 on property he leased to hunt for fossils near Jordan, Montana.
To the ‘naysayers’ from academia who complained about the university’s link with the for-sale specimen, Mr Detrich said that his message is ‘you’re welcome.’
‘You’re welcome – for me to allow my dinosaur to be in the museum and to be able to show the people,’ he said. ‘People have had the opportunity to actually see the baby T. rex.’
Experts from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) in Bethesda, Maryland, said In an open letter that they are concerned because the fossil will no longer be available for study. This image shows an ilium bone, which formed part of the dinosaur’s hip
Experts also claim Mr Detrich used the fossil’s scientific importance, including its exhibition status at KU, as part of his advertising strategy. This image shows the left and right femur, or upper leg, bones of the creature
In the initial eBay listing, Mr Detrich’s sales pitch for the fossil highlighted the fossil’s ties to the university, prompting the school to tweet that it’s not involved in the sale. This image shows the right iscium, right pubis and left tibia bones of the dinosaur
Leonard Krishtalka, NHM director and a KU professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, said in an internal memo that the ‘intent was to keep the specimen in the museum sphere to be enjoyed by visitors until it was sold to a museum.’
Dr Krishtalka said the listing’s references to the university made it appear the university was promoting the sale in violation of a formal contract approved by the university’s legal team.
The museum learned last week that Alan Detrich had ‘abruptly’ listed the specimen for sale on eBay without notifying the museum, Dr Krishtalka said.
Besides pulling the display, the museum asked Mr Detrich to remove all references to the university and other ‘misleading language and photos’ from his eBay listing, the memo said.
Son of Sampson’s limb proportions may lead to new findings over whether fragments of small T-Rexes found in North America are actually members of a theoretical species of dinosaur called Nanotyrannus, experts say. This image shows the creature’s cervical and dorsal centrum bones,
This research cannot be conducted scientifically until bones belonging to the creatures, of which Son of Samson is believed to be one of the most complete specimens, are permanently available for study, they add. This image shows a collection of interior skull bones
The University of Kansa has since pulled the fossil from public view after anger erupted over the sale. This image shows a recreation of the creature’s lower jaw
Mr Detrich, who also is known for making religious art out of dinosaur fossils, has long been a source of frustration to some in the scientific community.
They think fossils should be uncovered by people with more training and then donated for scientific study. Mr Detrich, meanwhile, insists fossil hunting is a risky, expensive business.
‘Millionaires aren’t rich enough to buy these dinosaurs,’ Mr Detrich said.
‘I don’t have a problem with selling to billionaires, because they’ve got enough money to protect this fossil and take really good care of it. At some point, all these things end up in museums.’
WHAT KILLED THE DINOSAURS?
Around 65 million years ago non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out and more than half the world’s species were obliterated.
This mass extinction paved the way for the rise of mammals and the appearance of humans.
The Chicxulub asteroid is often cited as a potential cause of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
The asteroid slammed into a shallow sea in what is now the Gulf of Mexico.
The collision released a huge dust and soot cloud that triggered global climate change, wiping out 75 per cent of all animal and plan species.
Researchers claim that the soot necessary for such a global catastrophe could only have come from a direct impact on rocks in shallow water around Mexico, which are especially rich in hydrocarbons.
Within 10 hours of the impact, a massive tsunami waved ripped through the Gulf coast, experts believe.
Around 65 million years ago non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out and more than half the world’s species were obliterated. The Chicxulub asteroid is often cited as a potential cause of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event (stock image)
This caused earthquakes and landslides in areas as far as Argentina.
But while the waves and eruptions were The creatures living at the time were not just suffering from the waves – the heat was much worse.
While investigating the event researchers found small particles of rock and other debris that was shot into the air when the asteroid crashed.
Called spherules, these small particles covered the planet with a thick layer of soot.
Experts explain that losing the light from the sun caused a complete collapse in the aquatic system.
This is because the phytoplankton base of almost all aquatic food chains would have been eliminated.
It’s believed that the more than 180 million years of evolution that brought the world to the Cretaceous point was destroyed in less than the lifetime of a Tyrannosaurus rex, which is about 20 to 30 years.
