Fossil hunter attempts to sell baby T rex skeleton on eBay for £2.25 million

You may be able to buy and sell anything on eBay, from electronics to cars and fashion apparel to sporting goods, but even the most seasoned e-commerce veterans would have been shocked to find a baby T. rex skeleton up for grabs with a “buy it now price” of $2.95 million (£2.25 million).

The listing reads: “Most Likely the Only BABY T-Rex in the World! It has a 15 FOOT long body and a 21” [inch] SKULL with Serrated Teeth! This Rex was a very dangerous meat eater. It’s a RARE opportunity indeed to ever see a baby Rex…”

Even the most seasoned e-commerce veterans would have been shocked to find a baby T. rex skeleton up for grabs with a “buy it now price” of $2.95 million (£2.25 million)

Appearing alongside a 50-piece dinosaur play set and fiery-eyed T. rex action figures, the partial skeleton of the baby Tyrannosaurus rex – described with sporadic bursts of all-caps letters and exclamation points – looks somewhat out of place.

The skeleton, estimated to be 68 million-years-old, was first discovered in 2013, on private land in Montana. It became the property of the man who discovered it – Alan Detrich, a professional fossil hunter. In 2017, Detrich lent the fossil to the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, where it was still on display when Detrich made the surprise decision to put it up for auction.

The skeleton, estimated to be 68 million-years-old, was first discovered in 2013, on private land in Montana. It became the property of the man who discovered it, Alan Detrich, a professional fossil hunter

Analysis of the skeleton may have helped to settle a major debate in paleontology over whether small Tyrannosaurus from North America are infants or should have the separate classification of Nanotyrannus. Such research may now be impossible with the fossil likely to end up in a private collection.

The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) wrote an open letter decrying the sale of the baby T. rex, highlighting that the price tag would likely ensure that the specimen ended up with a private owner, robbing scientists and the public of the chance to learn further from it.

Analysis of the skeleton may have helped to settle a major debate in palaeontology over whether small Tyrannosaurus from North America are infants or should have the separate classification of Nanotyrannus

The SVP also stated in their letter last week that: “Mr Detrich has tried to capitalise on the museum’s good faith by using the exhibition and scientific attention as selling points” on eBay. It added: “These events undermine the scientific process for studying past life as well as the prospect for future generations to share the natural heritage of our planet.”

So far no one has expressed interest in paying the asking price, although there is the option to make an offer, and the item has more than 100 people “watching” it.