The mystery of the location of the most expensive dinosaur skeleton in the world has been solved

Stan’s location – a tyrannosaur skeleton that was auctioned for up to 31.8 million USD in October 2020 has been revealed after 2 long years of hiding. The skeleton is currently in Abu Dhabi and is waiting for the Natural History Museum there to open in 2025, according to the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism.

It is known that since the Stan specimen was successfully auctioned and became the most expensive specimen ever sold, the movement of this nearly 12m skeleton has become a great unknown. Even the Black Hills Institute (BHI) in South Dakota – the company that previously owned and maintained Stan did not know the truth behind this mystery. Upon learning that it would be on public display in Abu Dhabi – the 2nd most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pete Larson, paleontologist, president and The founder of BHI said: “I am extremely excited. Couldn’t be more wonderful. Stan will be in a museum and millions of people will see it, scientists will be able to study it.”

The sale of Stan began in 2015 when Neal Larson – Pete Larson’s brother decided to leave BHI. The auction at Christie’s New York has received a lot of attention, along with the regret of scientists because there is a possibility that an important specimen like this will fall into private hands, causing obstacles. for the research process. Darla Zelenitsly, an assistant professor of paleontology at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, said that revealing Stan’s location could be a relief to a lot of paleontologists.

According to US trade records, Stan’s shipping volume was 5.6 tons, valued at $31,847,500, which was exported from New York to the UAE in May 2021. That same day, the Department of Culture and Abu Dhabi Tourism confirmed that Stan’s new home will be the future Abu Dhabi Museum of Natural History.

Murchison meteorite (Photo: Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi)

Covering approximately 35,000 square meters, the Abu Dhabi Museum of Natural History will be a scientific research, teaching and educational resource for learning about our planet’s development story. This museum also houses the Murchison meteorite – the oldest known meteorite on Earth with an age of up to 7 billion years. Regarding Stan, the museum says this 67-million-year-old specimen will be cared for by professional scientists and will continue to contribute to education, research, and inspiration for future explorers.

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