LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The University of Kansas has pulled the fossil of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex from public view at its Natural History Museum after anger erupted when the fossils private owner listed it for sale for $2.95 million.
Alan Detrich, who isnt a trained paleontologist, said he originally shared his rare fossil with the museum two years ago because the public ought to get to see it, the Lawrence Journal-World reports. His eBay sales pitch for the fossil initially highlighted the fossils ties to the university, prompting the school to tweet that its not involved in the sale.
Detrich said he and his brother unearthed the 68-million-year-old bones from a 4-year-old T. rex in 2013 on property he leased to hunt for fossils near Jordan, Montana. To the naysayers from academia who complained about the universitys link with the for-sale specimen, Detrich says his message is youre welcome.