Dinosaur fossil speculation worries scientists
A skeleton of a ceratosaurus, a large predator that lived 150 million years ago, is being auctioned in New York on Wednesday, July 16. The sale is worrying paleontologists, who fear that the fossils could become a target for speculators, preventing museums from accessing these precious testimonies of the past.
“Dinosaurs may be extinct, but that doesn't stop them from being everywhere this month,” notes The Financial Times . First in cinemas, with the new installment of the Jurassic Park franchise, released on July 4, but also in auction rooms. On Wednesday, July 16, a fossilized skeleton of a ceratosaurus ( Ceratosaurus ), estimated at between $4 and $6 million, is being auctioned in New York by Sotheby's, a company specializing in the sale of collectible works. The specimen in question is one of only four known representatives of this species of large predators alive 150 million years ago. Discovered in 1996 in the US state of Wyoming, it is the only fossil of a juvenile ceratosaurus ever unearthed.
An exceptional piece, which could nevertheless end up in a private collection. Indeed, the fossil market is booming, and many wealthy clients are flocking to auctions to make their "childhood dreams" come true, explains the British business newspaper . Even celebrities are swept up in this paleontological enthusiasm.
“Nicolas Cage paid $276,000 for a skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex cousin , outbidding Leonardo DiCaprio, before returning it to the Mo
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