Wealthy Collectors Are Snatching Up T. Rex Fossils, Leaving Scientists Behind

Summary

Tyrannosaurus rex fossils are increasingly controlled by private or commercial collectors, limiting their availability for scientists. Over half of known fossils (71 out of 135) are held privately, with many being too expensive and difficult to access. Commercial collectors often claim these fossils aid discovery, but only 11% are available for scientific study. Many private fossils are of juvenile species, crucial for understanding evolution, yet few are donated to public institutions. Without increased public access or a shift in priorities towards scientific study over economic gain, these fossils may face extinction akin to the dodo bird.

Additional Summaries

According to a study published in Palaeontologia Electronica, commercial fossil collecting has walled off so many T. rex fossils to scientists that it has severely hindered the scientific record. Even if researchers once studied a fossil, its scientific value drops if future teams can’t access it. If a fossil is locked in a collector’s mansion or a storage unit, other scientists can’t study it. Since the blockbuster auction of “Sue” the T. rex in 1997 for $8.36 million, T. rex fossils have become the Picassos of the paleontology world—high-status art pieces fetching many millions of dollars at auction. But of the five T. rex fossils sold at auction, only one lot (that of Sue) was purchased by a museum.