Scientists Are Not Happy With The Listing Of A Baby T-Rex Skeleton For $3 Million On eBay
A recent ebay listing has the scientific community up in arms—especially those involved in natural history.
The owner of the juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex specimen that has been on display at the University of Kansas' Natural History Museum, one Alan Dietrich, has decided to list it on eBay for just under $3 million!
The 15 foot fossil was found in Montana's Hell Creek Formation, and is estimated to be 68-million-years-old.
The University of Kansas issued a statement on Twitter that they have nothing to do with the sale. They have even gone so far as to condemn the attempt to sell the specimen.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP)released an open letter to Dietrich expressing their upset at the listing as well.
SVP isn't only worried about the sale itself, but also by the implications of Dietrich having used the specimen's placement at the museum as a selling point.
"The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) is concerned because the fossil, which represents a unique part of life's past, may be lost from the public trust, and because its owner used the specimen's scientific importance, including its exhibition status at KU, as part of his advertising strategy."
Others have commented on the importance of natural history museums, and their collections being available for public view and scientific study, in the past.
Paolo Viscardi, deputy keeper of natural history at London's Honiman Museum told The Guardian:
"It is this physical record that makes museum collections so valuable – you can't extract DNA from a photograph and you can't test a written description for pesticide residues, but a physical specimen can provide a wealth of unexpected information."
A 2004 paper by Suarez & Tsutsui titled "The Value of Museum Collections for Research and Society" said:
"Nothing will ever replace the taxonomic knowledge and training that museums provide; funding in this area should become a national priority. Otherwise, knowledge of this planet's biodiversity, and of all the potential benefits therein, will be lost."
The private sale of a supposedly one-of-a-kind specimen means that the specimen goes from displayed in a museum, with scientists and the general public having free access to observe and learn from it, to possibly sitting in a crate in a warehouse or in someone's private collection.
Twitter users weren't happy about the attempt to sell the T. rex either.
Everyone is better off when such a rare specimen is accessible to anyone who wants to study it, including the owner.
Guy Buys Giant Dinosaur At Charity Auction And Installs It In Front Of His House For All To Enjoy
We all know and love Jurassic Park. Chances are some of ya'll even dreamed of having your very own dinosaur, despite the whole killing and eating the entire cast thing.
Jerry Adams, of Cwmbran, Wales, brought this dream to life when he purchased a giant dinosaur prop at a charity auction. It's 15 feet high and has been installed outside his home.
Take a look at this. We're living in 2019 and Jerry here is living in 3019.
"I saw it was for sale on the news and I thought that it would be a fantastic garden ornament." Huge plastic dinos… https://t.co/ElZ3WvSyR8— ITV News (@ITV News) 1551707954.0
Adams purchased the dinosaur for £1,600 at an auction by the The National Showcaves Centre for Wales. It was later transported around 50 miles from Swansea, Wales, to its new home.
What a sight:
Caught up with the infamous M4 Allosaurus in transit yesterday. Glad that he got safely to his new home in Cwmbran.… https://t.co/FIyFvkWFgO— Colin Everett (@Colin Everett) 1551636579.0
It definitely got people talking, that's for sure:
@ColinEverett2 I would have freaked out seeing that thing on the road. #M4 #Allosaurus #JerryAdams #JDRF— Samus Aran ⭐ (Miley) (@Samus Aran ⭐ (Miley)) 1551734072.0
@ColinEverett2 Super cool!!— Kristina Yeh (@Kristina Yeh) 1551731263.0
@ColinEverett2 Dinosaurs you see Out walking, Might just get your neighbours talking! https://t.co/zVfbG87lnX— Lizzy Logic (@Lizzy Logic) 1551735469.0
It's clear the dinosaur brings Adams a lot of joy:
It arrived yesterday and people were still taking photos with it at 11pm. I just thought it was a brilliant idea to raise money for the charity. I've got 12 grandchildren - two with autism and one with Asperger's - and when the dinosaur arrived they spent ages rubbing their hands over it and just feeling what it was like.
I'm not the wealthiest person but I wanted to help the charity and the main thing was getting it for the grandchildren. Lots of people go walking in the area and it's lovely speaking to people about it as they pass by on their walk.
The children are thinking of calling it Alan the Allosaurus.
VIDEO: Meet the man who paid £1,600 (to a type one diabetes charity @JDRFUK ) for the Cwmbran Dinosaur. In this vid… https://t.co/8RLRB45vPR— Ben Black (@Ben Black) 1551634358.0
And people are showing up to take pictures of the dinosaur, too.
£1,600? A bargain, I missed my chance! "A 15ft-tall model of an allosaurus had been sold by Swansea valley tourist… https://t.co/cmkUNc3tGP— Mark Rees (@Mark Rees) 1551711390.0
This man bought a giant dinosaur and put it in his garden https://t.co/lKDaXTeSxS #dinosaur #cwmbran https://t.co/zGd9l0PcBV— MorbitoriumUK (@MorbitoriumUK) 1551728881.0
My home town is keeping it real. A 15-foot plastic dinosaur has been given pride of place in a Cwmbran garden… https://t.co/1DWxrqxpIz— Luke A Parry (@Luke A Parry) 1551751995.0
Some people aren't surprised that the dinosaur is where it is, either:
of course someone in cwmbran bought a 10 ft dinosaur lmao full mood man what street is it on i wanna go see it— el | 3 days (@el | 3 days) 1551723457.0
And some are just confused:
why is there a giant dinosaur in someone's garden in cwmbran what is going on— caity cat loves anya (@caity cat loves anya) 1551723435.0
Let people enjoy things. Giant things, like the massive Pokemon cushion a guy (drunkenly) bought himself, are the best things in the world!
It looks like this dinosaur is going to keep the neighbors and their children smiling for some time to come.