The 30-foot-long dinosaur skeleton, which may belong to an unknown species, became auctioned for more than $2.3 million to a buyer who has decided to remain anonymous. The sale of the 30-foot theropod has sparked an outcry amongst some paleontologists, who argue the well-preserved specimen—new species or not—may now be “lost to science.”
French auction house Aguttes, which had formally put up for sale a mammoth skeleton had said before the auction that the buyer could possibly be able to name the new species, flickering protests from a United States scientific association.
(Photo: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN, AFP/Getty Images)
The fossil was dug up within the western part of the U.S. in 2013, belonged to a large carnivorous dinosaur. Scientists who’ve studied the specimen say there are a couple of similarities to other common species.
According to some paleontologists the creature is an affiliate of a pristine species, possibly within the bounds of Allosaurus genus of large, bipedal dinosaurs. However, others have assert that this is hogwash. “It’s just hype—they’re just trying to get a higher price for it,” biologist Thomas Carr, of Carthage College in Wisconsin, stated to Live Science. “It looks no different from any Allosaurus that I’ve ever seen.”
A dinosaur fossil is on display at the Eiffel tower, in Paris, France, June 2, 2018 ahead of its auction on Monday. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
“The buyer is French and he told me before the sale … ‘if I get it, I would present it to the public’ and this is amazing,” auctioneer Claude Aguttes told Reuters. Auctioneer Claude Aguttes also stated that the specimen may end up on display in a museum. According to Reuters, he said, “The buyer is French, and he told me before the sale…‘If I get it, I would present it to the public.’… Everyone will be able to see it, it will soon be lent to a museum, it will be studied by scientists, everything is perfect.”
