The Musée des Confluences in Lyon puts its dinosaur in the closet.
On November 23, through a press release, the director, Hélène Lafont-Couturier, announced the suspension of her event exhibition.
The impressive skeleton of the
Tyrannosaurus rex
,
named Ryker will not be shown to the public immediately "out
of caution
" and
"pending further research
", we are told.
To this starving explanation, the museum adds: "
This delay should allow the museum to ensure that the presentation of Ryker responds to the values and ethics of the establishment, as well as to its scientific and cultural project."
Doubt arose after the aborted sale of another T-Rex, Shen, in Hong Kong.
On November 20, Christie's announced the cancellation of this auction scheduled for November 30
.
Suspicions from the Black Hills Geological Research Institute, located in South Dakota, prompted Christie's to remove it from its catalog, reports the
New York Times.
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When reconstructed, Shen's skeleton would indeed have been supplemented with casts of another specimen, Stan, the Tyrannosaurus star - sold for more than $31 million at auction in New York in October 2020. According to Iacopo Briano, expert in fossils, the problem lies in the intellectual property rights of these casts.
These are held by the Black Hills Geological Research Institute, which specializes in dinosaurs.
The T-Rex of the museum of Lyon, him, was to be shown to the public from December 16 for one year.
Ryker was only the second of his kind to be exhibited in France.
But, the establishment refuses to expand further on the reasons for this delay.
Is its origin also questionable?
"The museum will be likely to provide information later"
, we are content to answer.
For Iacopo Briano, “
this report is quite mysterious.
I inquired about the dinosaur and found nothing
.
The specialist wonders if
“the museum was not a little rushed when organizing the event”
.
A not-so-exceptional T-Rex?
“I think they got scared because of the Hong Kong fiasco. Their exposure must be beyond reproach so they want to be sure that there is not a similar problem on the T-Rex
, believes Iacopo Briano.
And, as in an art collection, you can own a very beautiful painting provided it does not deserve to be in the Louvre.
For dinosaur fossils, it's the same thing.
So, does Ryker really belong in a museum?
The beast is 3.7 meters high and 11 meters long.
"
It's the average size for this species, there is nothing exceptional
", comments Iacopo Briano.
According to Confluences, the T-Rex, 66 million years old, has in any case not had the most restful life.
On his skeleton would appear signs of his “traumatic life”.
"
Damaged bones, sometimes broken and then healed, and bite marks indicate a constant struggle for survival
", argued the museum in early November.
Tyrannosaurs fascinate the public.
“
There is too much attention on this species
,” laments Iacopo Briano.
To the point of adding with a laugh: “
T-Rex are a bit like the da Vinci of the fossil world.
»