Skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex Trinity is auctioned in Switzerland – 04/18/2023 – Science

The first auction of a skeleton of tyrannosaurus rex in Europe ended up with the hammer being beaten by a price lower than expected. With few bids from interested parties, the article was sold for 4.8 million Swiss francs this Tuesday afternoon (18) in Zurich.

Considering the rarity of these large dinosaurs and the values ​​practiced in previous auctions, it was expected that the sale could fetch between 5 million and 8 million Swiss francs. In 2020, a T. rex named Stan was sold by Christie’s for $31.8 million (about R$178.9 million).

Responsible for negotiating the specimen, the Koller auction house did not give details about the buyer. The only information is that the “skeleton will remain in Europe”. With the addition of the negotiation commission, the total amount to be paid for the material reaches 5.5 million francs.

The media seeing tyrannosaurus rex reignited the debate on the international trade in fossils, criticized by many paleontologists for allowing specimens of high scientific value to end up becoming decorative pieces in the private collections of millionaires.

According to the scientists, the millionaire figures end up encouraging a race for exploration based only on the financial issue. While in Brazil the commercial exploitation and sale of fossils is prohibited by law, there are countries, such as the United States and several European nations, where these activities are allowed.

In the USA, there are teams of professional “fossil hunters”, interested in discovering the most valuable specimens.

Another fear of researchers is that auctions encourage the falsification or adulteration of fossils to inflate transaction prices. It was precisely a suspicion of tampering with the skull that suspended, last year, the auction of a T. rex named Shen at Christie’s in Hong Kong.

For some scientists, the tyrannosaurus rex auctioned this Tuesday (18) in Switzerland can be considered an adulteration. The skeleton is formed by joining the bones of three different specimens of T. rex. The situation, however, was highlighted in the animal’s sales material, named Trinity (trinity) to highlight this point.

Most of the axial skeleton and the pelvic region is composed of one specimen excavated in 2013. Another animal, discovered in 2012, completes the skeletal details. The skull is from a third dinosaur, which also provided some other small parts. In all, the mounted T. rex is 11.6 meters long and 3.9 meters high.

For that reason, University of Edinburgh professor Steve Brusatte has called the skeleton “a Frankenstein rex”, but considers the material to have its relevance.

“Nevertheless, these fossils are rare and scientifically important. And I feel they rightly belong in a museum, where they can be safely kept, studied by scientists and inspire children and audiences of all ages,” Brusatte said in an interview with The Independent.

One of the largest predators that ever crossed the Earth, weighing up to 8 tons, the T. rex lived between 65 and 67 million years ago in the region that is now North America. Despite its size, its fossils are rare. According to a 2021 survey, only 32 adult specimens have been discovered so far.

finished giants

stan
Origin: USA, Hell Creek formation
Discovered in 1992
Auctioned in 2020 for $31.8 million
Buyer: Abu Dhabi Museum of Natural History, not yet open

Sue
Origin: USA, South Dakota
Discovered in 1990
Auctioned in 1997 for $8.3 million
Buyer: Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago with funding from various entities including California State University, Walt Disney and MacDonald’s