Here’s your chance to own a piece of history — 68 million-year-old history, that is. An archeologist and fossil hunter named Alan Detrich, who discovered the skeleton of a baby Tyrannosaurus rex in Montana in 2013 is now selling the bones on eBay for a “buy it now” price of $2.95 million.
The listing teases the fossil as “most likely the only baby T-rex in the world” and notes that the body is 15-feet long, with a 21” skull that features serrated teeth. The reptile is estimated to have been about four when it died.
“We feel it’s MORE important for the World to be able to view and enjoy this (and all Artifacts) rather than a select [few] who can make it to the museum,” the seller explains in the listing about why the T-rex is up for grabs. “Also, most high end collectors love to share their collection with the world (leasing to museums etc) and welcome future research and publication of that research. We want to share this important discovery with the Whole World!”
Prior to going up for auction on eBay, the T-rex was part of an exhibit at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, according to Fox News. Detrich had loaned it in 2017, but the museum insists it is not involved in the auction and is no longer working with the archaeologist. The museum also tweeted a letter from director Leonard Krishtalk to distance itself from the situation on April 9:
“The KU Natural History Museum does not sell or mediate the sale of specimens to private individuals,” the letter began. “Accordingly, 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 listing.”
There are more than 3,700 people watching the listing as of press time, but no bids yet.
Perhaps Nicolas Cage is one of the listing’s watchers. The actor outbid Leonardo DiCaprio for a Tyrannosaurus bataar skull in 2007 for a whopping price of $276,000. But unfortunately for the star, it turns out that the 67 million-year-old fossil had been stolen from Mongolia nearly a decade earlier and sold to a swanky Beverly Hills gallery, which auctioned it off. Cage later voluntarily agreed to return the stolen skull.
But if he can cough up another $3 mil, this time, he can have the whole dinosaur. And he won’t even have to return it.
