The doors of the Drouot auction house were opened to let in a triceratops, while the premises of a commercial paleontology company were searched to seize a T-Rex… These surreal scenes, reported by journalist Pauline Lallement in her investigative book “Jurassic Fric. La nouvelle ruée vers l’or” published by Flammarion editions, actually happened. They illustrate the enthusiasm of investors for a new type of investment: dinosaur fossils. These fossils are not just passed from the hands of university paleontologists to natural history museum curators as one might think; they are the subject of a real market.
From commercial paleontology to investment
Commercial paleontology has always existed. Since the 1920s, the first paleontologists had to seek private grants to conduct particularly expensive research. Furthermore, some have enriched themselves through the sale of their discoveries. But according to journalist Pauline Lallement, the real turning point occurred in 1997 with the sale of a T-Rex named Sue. This T-Rex was acquired for over 8 million dollars by the Field Museum in Chicago, thanks to investments from major players like Walt Disney and McDonald’s.
Another phenomenon that has contributed to this trade is the film “Jurassic Park” directed by Steven Spielberg. “This film marked an entire generation and thirty years later, buyers who played with Jurassic Park figurines are now buying a dinosaur, which is essentially a life-size figurine for them,” the journalist explains. Today, some wealthy individuals invest in dinosaurs just like they invest in vintage cars.
The dinosaur trade to the detriment of scientific research
The main consequence of this dinosaur trade is that it is being done at the expense of scientific research. “It’s the great tragedy of researchers,” the journalist tells us, “today, dinosaurs are being compared to works of art when they are actually scientific objects. Scientists no longer have access to certain research areas because private owners reserve access rights for commercial paleontologists.” These fossils, often sold outside official channels – such as through private messages – are thus escaping museum collections and the reach of scientists.
