Should dinosaur fossils belong in museums—or can they be bought and sold like works of art?

When the spectacular Tyrannosaurus rex known as "Gus" was preparing to go under the hammer (and has since sold for a staggering $50 million), it reignited one of palaeontology's biggest ethical debates.

In this episode Dr Dave Hone and Iszi Lawrence explore the booming fossil market and ask what happens when scientifically important specimens disappear into private collections. Is it wrong for billionaires to own dinosaurs? Can privately owned fossils still contribute to science? And why won't many scientific journals publish research based on privately owned specimens?

Dave draws on his own experience working with museums, private collectors and commercial fossil dealers to explain the surprisingly complicated relationship between science, money and ownership. We discuss museums, fossil laws, famous auction sales, and why a dinosaur's scientific value isn't always the same as its auction price.

Questions covered in this episode:

• Should dinosaur fossils be sold at auction?
• Why won't scientists study many privately owned fossils?
• Is it ethical for billionaires to own dinosaur skeletons?
• How do fossil auctions affect palaeontology?
• Could private ownership ever benefit science?
• Why are some fossils worth tens of millions of dollars?

Support the podcast and get bonus episodes at:
https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards

You can watch this as a video on youtube here: https://youtu.be/TaLWBc-4vvE

In this archive discussion, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone answer listener questions about museum exhibits, dinosaur reconstructions, Spinosaurus, and which prehistoric animal could become the next global superstar.

You can watch this episode on youtube here: https://youtu.be/AL5bquwdpcQ

🦖 Harry (age 8) asks:

• We saw Titus the T. rex and the supposed bite mark on its tail — is it really a bite, and what other pathologies does Titus have?

🎨 Phil asks:

• What does Dave think of the life-size Spinosaurus model unveiled in Germany?

🏛️ Listener question:

• Is there a clade-specific or thematic dinosaur exhibition we would love to create or contribute to?

⭐ Listener question:

• Which dinosaur has the potential to become the next major superstar in the way Velociraptor and Spinosaurus did?

Along the way, Dave explains why consultants don't always agree with every detail in a museum display, discusses the challenges of interpreting fossil injuries, and reveals his dream of creating a Dromaeosaur or Pterosaur exhibition.

Support the podcast and get bonus episodes at:

https://patreon.com/terriblelizards

If you enjoy Terrible Lizards, please like, subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with a fellow dinosaur fan. It really helps us keep making new episodes.

With another Tyrannosaurus rex making headlines at auction, we're revisiting this discussion from 2020, recorded just after the famous sale of Stan.

Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone explore why the sale stunned palaeontologists, what it could mean for museums and scientific research, and whether record-breaking prices change the fossil market forever.

This is an archive discussion, but many of the questions it raises remain just as relevant today. If you'd like to hear more, we'll have a brand new episode on 29th July looking at the sale of large fossils, the ethics of collecting, and how these extraordinary specimens end up in museums and/or private hands.

Support the podcast and get bonus episodes at: https://patreon.com/terriblelizards

If you enjoy Terrible Lizards, please like, subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with a fellow dinosaur fan. It really helps us keep making new episodes.

In this 2021 clip from Terrible Lizards, Iszi and Dave discuss the fossilised Oviraptor nest that made headlines around the world. Was this really evidence that dinosaurs sat on their eggs like birds, or was the story more complicated?

Discover what embryos inside the eggs reveal about dinosaur parenting, asynchronous hatching, brooding behaviour, and why some palaeontologists think male Oviraptors may have guarded the nest. Along the way, the conversation explores ostriches, crocodiles, chickens, and how scientific discoveries can change as new evidence comes to light.

Support Terrible Lizards and get bonus content at: https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards

Watch this episode as a video on iszitube: https://youtu.be/55ppw-nPhno

#Dinosaurs #Palaeontology #Oviraptor #Fossils #SciencePodcast

Recorded live at the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 2026, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone tackle questions from the audience on everything from Spinosaurus salt glands and Jurassic World to feathered pterosaurs, Troodon taxonomy, AI in palaeontology and where the next great dinosaur discovery might be hiding. Questions featured in this episode include:

• Could pterosaurs perch, hover or even fly backwards?

• Did Spinosaurus have salt glands?

• Has the Jurassic World franchise helped or harmed public understanding of dinosaurs?

• Should amateur fossil collecting be restricted?

• Is Troodon formosus valid again?

• Do you need a PhD to work in palaeontology?

• How little fossil material is needed to name a new species?

• What made Troodon teeth so unusual?

• What prehistoric animal would Dave and Iszi dress up as?

• Has anyone tried reconstructing pterosaur calls?

• Is AI useful in palaeontology?

• Are pterosaur pycnofibres really feathers?

• Why are Triassic ornithischian fossils so rare?

• Where might the next big dinosaur discovery come from?

• Have Dave or Iszi found any fossils recently?

Support Terrible Lizards on Patreon: https://patreon.com/terriblelizards

Iszi Lawrence NEW audiobooks (release date: 25-06-26) https://www.audible.co.uk/author/Iszi-Lawrence/B0865T388B

https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/domesday-cows-9781801999274/

Find out more about the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival: https://fossilfestival.com/

Watch this episode on youtube (Search iszitube) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lujwm8nrvRA

Mary Anning is one of the most important figures in the history of paleontology but how much do we really know about her?

Recorded live at the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone are joined by Kieran Satchell from Lyme Regis Museum to explore the life, discoveries and legacy of the pioneering fossil hunter who helped transform our understanding of prehistoric life. From ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs to the early days of fossil collecting on the Jurassic Coast, this episode dives into the science, history and myths surrounding Mary Anning.

If you love paleontology, fossil hunting, history, dinosaurs, marine reptiles or the story of science, this one's for you.

Support Terrible Lizards on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/terriblelizards

Watch this live on our Patreon or on youtube

https://youtu.be/gtlA6kp58KA

Find out more about the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival:
https://fossilfestival.com/

Were dinosaur horns brightly coloured? And is there really such a thing as a "top predator"? In this extract of a Terrible Lizards bonus we recorded last year, we tackle two surprisingly big dinosaur questions from our listeners. First: what colour were dinosaur horns and frills? Could horned dinosaurs like Triceratops and other ceratopsians have had vivid displays like modern birds? We explore colourful toucans, puffins, flamingos, and even vultures that deliberately dye themselves red to ask whether dinosaurs may have been much brighter and stranger than we usually imagine. Then an argument with sharp teeth: is T. rex really a "top predator"? If killer whales sometimes hunt great white sharks, are sharks apex predators? Is the whole idea of a "top predator" actually misleading?

Support the podcast, ask questions and get all the full bonus episodes here: https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards

You can watch this episode on patreon or on youtube here: https://youtu.be/EVSC9hQckrI

Can you make a prehistoric documentary without relying on T. rex? We chat to Tim Haines, the man behind Walking with Dinosaurs and the new series Surviving Earth about mammal-like reptiles, giant extinctions, documentary trickery, CGI dinosaurs, weird prehistoric noises and how you make audiences emotionally invest in creatures that may or may not have peed. From gorgonopsians to giant climate shifts, this is a deep dive into both prehistory and documentary filmmaking.

Want bonus episodes and extra Terrible Lizards goodness? Head to https://patreon.com/terriblelizards

Watch the series in USA THURS 6/11 NBC and peacock.

#Dinosaurs #Paleontology #Documentary #WalkingWithDinosaurs #SurvivingEarth