Have you got a spare $4 million? If so, you could become the owner of an exceptionally rare infant Tyrannosaurus rex fossil - but you run the risk of attracting the ire of paleontologists around the world.
A controversial eBay listing titled 'YOUNG (BABY) T-REX TYRANNOSAURUS DINOSAUR FOSSIL HELLS CREEK MAYBE ONLY 1 TREX' has led to outrage in the paleontology world, after purporting to sell "most likely the only BABY T-Rex in the world!".
According to the item description, the dinosaur was approximately four years old and 15 feet long when it died. The 68-million-year-old skeleton was reportedly discovered near Jordan, Montana in 2013 by professional fossil hunter Alan Detrich.
In an open letter, the US Society of Vertebrate Paleontology slammed the decision to sell the fossil to a private buyer, as it will "undermine the scientific process for studying past life as well as the prospect for future generations to share the natural heritage of our planet."
"Vertebrate fossils are rare and often unique. Scientific practice demands that conclusions drawn from the fossils should be verifiable: scientists must be able to reexamine, re-measure, and reinterpret them," the letter reads.
"Furthermore, technological advances, new scientific questions, and opportunities for synthetic research mean that new research often utilises fossils that were originally collected with other purposes in mind."
The fossil had previously been on loan to the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, where it was exhibited.
Director of the museum Professor Leonard Krishtalka ordered the fossil to be removed from display once learning of Mr Detrich's intention to sell. He also requested that all references to the university be removed from the advertising material.
According to the open letter, Dr Krishtalka said the university had exhibited the fossil with the understanding that the owner was negotiating with museums for a sale that would place it in the permanent public trust.
In a statement earlier this month, Dr Krishtalka said the museum "does not sell or mediate the sale of specimens to private individuals".
"Scientifically important fossils like the juvenile tyrannosaur are clues to our collective natural heritage and deserve to be held in public trust," the letter continues.
"That fossils like this are Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 2 evidence of Earth’s deep past is what makes them valuable, unlike art objects or other items of trade whose value comes from human creativity and artistry."
At the time of publishing, the listing was still active on eBay with more than 2,000 watchers.
