Dinosaur Survives Auction, Remains Available to Scientists and Public
Agreement reached to purchase and retain it in public collections to ensure continued access for scientists and visitors
Translated by Qiyas from الأنباء — Original source
Days before it was to be put up for sale, the fate of a 167-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton changed after French authorities reached an agreement to purchase it and keep it within public collections, ensuring its continued availability to scientists and visitors.
The skeleton was scheduled to be auctioned in Paris on November 18, following the heirs’ decision to sell it. However, negotiations led by the Ministry of Culture, with support from the National Museum of Natural History and government financial backing, concluded with an out-of-court purchase agreement whose value was not disclosed.
The story began in 1994, when André Dubreuil, then mayor of Conteville, discovered bones on land he owned in Normandy. Subsequent excavations and studies revealed that the remains belonged to a new species of carnivorous dinosaur, which was named in his honor.
The dinosaur, scientifically known as Dubreuillosaurus valesdunensis, serves as the reference specimen that researchers rely on to define its species and compare other discoveries with it.
Its skull is also among the most complete and best-preserved of carnivorous dinosaurs discovered in Europe.
Although the skeleton had been deposited in museum institutions and displayed to the public for years, it remained privately owned, allowing the heirs to decide to sell it.
The National Museum of Natural History in Paris will add it to its collections while continuing to examine it via computed tomography scans, in preparation for a more scientifically accurate reconstruction of the skeleton.
