Rare Dinosaur Skeleton Sold At Rp90 Billion Auction: Winner Can Choose Name, Scientists Highlight

Kerangka Gorgosaurus. (Source: Sotheby's via CNN)

JAKARTA - The skeleton of a Gorgosaurus sold for $6,069,500 US dollars or about Rp. 90,063,793,125 at a New York City auction on Thursday last week, becoming an unusual opportunity but also a matter of concern for scientists.

Sotheby's auction house said the specimen, which was three meters long, was one of the most valuable dinosaurs ever to appear on the market.

It is known, that Gorgosaurus roamed the earth about 76 million years ago. As a bonus, the auction winner can also choose a name for the dinosaur skeleton.

"In my career, I have had the privilege of handling and selling many extraordinary and unique objects, but few have the capacity to inspire wonder and capture the imagination like this magnificent Gorgosaurus skeleton", said Cassandra Hatton, head of science and popular culture. global Sotheby's global launches The National News on July 28.

A typical adult Gorgosaurus weighed about two tons, slightly smaller than its more famous relative, Tyrannosaurus rex. The skeleton was found in the Judith River Formation near Havre, Montana, in 2018.

Paleontologists say Gorgosaurus was fiercer and faster than T-Rex, with a stronger bite of about 42,000 newtons compared to 35,000.

All other known Gorgosaurus skeletons are in the museum's collection, making them the only specimens available for private ownership, the auction house said.

"It's the only thing you can actually buy, so it's an exciting moment for both private and institutional collectors", said Ms. Hatton.

The sale marks the first time Sotheby's has auctioned a complete dinosaur skeleton since selling Sue the T-Rex in 1997 for $8.36 million.

Gorgosaurus skeleton. (Source: Sotheby's via CNN)

Sue's auction was also controversial and, at the time, the latest example of a new challenge to fossil resource management: John W. Hoganson, paleontologist emeritus of the Geological Survey of North Dakota, wrote in the 1998 edition of the survey bulletin about the potential impact on the scientific progress of " growing international market for fossils and the collection and sale of fossils produced by profiteers."

"The professional paleontology community is anxiously anticipating the auction of T. rex because of uncertainty over whether the important specimen will end up in private collections, thus making it unavailable for scientific study and public display, or in public warehouses in this country", he wrote, citing CNN.

"The main concern is the sales effect on paleontology."

During Hoganson's tenure, he founded the North Dakota State Fossil Collection and was involved in making federal laws to protect fossil resources on federal lands in the US, according to the state government.

Stan, the world's most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, set a new world record in 2020 when it sold for $31.8 million at Christie's. At the time of the sale, paleontologists feared the fossil was missing from science, but in March the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism revealed Stan's plans to become the star attraction in the new natural history museum, which is expected to open in 2025 in Abu Dhabi, as CNN previously reported.

While Sue remains on display at the Field Museum, Stan waits for a permanent home, and Gorgosaurus has been sold, some scientists are unhappy that this trend continues.

"In my own opinion, there are only cons", said P. David Polly, a professor and chair of the department of earth and atmospheric sciences at Indiana University Bloomington.

"While of course there is no law in the US that supports this for fossils coming from private lands, it's easy for me as a scientist to argue that fossils are important to all of us, and really should be kept in a public repository where it can be learned, where society at large can learn from it and enjoy it."

Fossils on private land are the property of private individuals who can do what they want with them. Whereas fossils on public land are regulated by the federal government and basically belong to the government or "the people, if you will", Polly said.

"When there are fossils that are auctioned off like this and are estimated to fetch millions of dollars, one of the things it does is tell private landowners that the fossils in their land really need to be monetized."

Other scientific experts, however, acknowledge that museum collections have historically included acquisitions from commercial sources.

"I'm sad that there's a price tag for dinosaurs", but "it's not a black or white issue", says Gregory Erickson, professor of vertebrate anatomy and paleobiology at Florida State University in Tallahassee. "There is a history of museums buying commercial specimens."

To note, unlike other countries, the US does not restrict the sale or export of fossils, meaning the skeletons could end up overseas.