At auctions, most things can be sold. Everything from small gadgets to famous works of art. It is not common for a dinosaur skeleton to be sold, but now is the time for such a sale in Paris, reports the BBC.
It is supposed to be a 150-million-year-old skeleton of a camptosaurus, which is now going up for sale. The skeleton in question is described as “very well preserved” and was first discovered in the 90s by paleontologist Barry James. Therefore, of course, the dinosaur has just been named Barry.
The sale takes place in the French capital at the end of October, and for those eager to buy, it will mean opening the wallet considerably. The dinosaur is expected to be sold for around 1.2 million euros, i.e. roughly 14 million kroner.
Worries researchers
The skeleton has been restored twice and is about 2 meters high and five meters long. According to Hotel Drouot, which is behind the auction, it is very rare that such a well-preserved specimen goes up for sale.
– Just look at its skull, it is almost 90 percent complete and the rest of the dinosaur is 80 percent intact, Alexandre Giquello of Hotel Drouot told the BBC.
It is unusual for dinosaur skeletons to be auctioned off, but it does happen sporadically. In April this year, a tyrannosaurus rex was sold for the first time in Europe.
But the sale also creates a lot of concern among researchers. Many see a risk that dinosaurs that could be important to science are lost when they are sold to private collectors.
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