- An eBay listing for a young T. rex's 15-foot body and 21-inch skull is drawing attention.
- According to the Lawrence Journal-World, the T. rex belongs to Alan Detrich and had been on exhibit at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum.
- Detrich told the newspaper he and his brother discovered the bones in Montana in 2013.
- So far, no one has made an offer on the bones, although about 774 people are watching the auction.
If you've got an extra $2.95 million lying around (and who doesn't?), the remains of a baby Tyrannosaurus rex could be yours.
An eBay listing for a young T. rex's 15-foot body and 21-inch skull is drawing attention because, well, when was the last time you saw a dinosaur for sale online?
According to the Lawrence Journal-World, the T. rex belongs to Alan Detrich and had been on exhibit at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum. The university pulled the bones from display after the listing went up.
Detrich didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a tweet from April 10 said, "Today I will remove my 68 million year old 4 year old T-Rex Fossil that has been on display at the Museum for the past two years. .......Your Welcome."
Today I will remove my 68 million year old 4 year old T-Rex Fossil that has been on display at the Museum for the past two years. .......Your Welcome.
— Alan Leon Detrich (@AlanDetrich) April 10, 2019
In a statement posted on Twitter, the museum sought to clarify that it was not involved in the sale, saying "the specimen on exhibit-loan to us has been removed from exhibit and is being returned to the owner. We have asked that the owner remove any association with us from his sale."
— KU Natural History (@kunhm) April 9, 2019
So far, no one has made an offer on the bones, although about 774 folks are watching the auction as of this writing. eBay didn't immediately respond for a request for comment.
Detrich told the newspaper he and his brother discovered the bones in Montana in 2013. According to his Twitter account, this isn't his first T. rex sale. Detrich tweeted that he sold another one he dubbed Samson for "millions of dollars."
I sold Samson for millions of dollars. Soon the world will discover I have another T-Rex only this one is a 4 year old T-Rex dinosaur and another Billionaire will step up and snatch up the Rare specimen for his or her home or office. God Bless America, Land of Free Capitalism.
— Alan Leon Detrich (@AlanDetrich) April 9, 2019
In a letter dated April 12, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology expressed ethical concerns about the sale.
Read more:13 dinosaur myths scientists wish we'd stop believing
"Because vertebrate fossils are rare, most of them contribute uniquely to our knowledge of the history of life. Each one that is lost from the public trust, is part of that already fragmentary history that we will never collectively recover," the letter said.
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