Paleontologists expressed concern that wealthy private buyers could lock academic institutions out of critical research opportunities.
"The current trend towards dinosaur fossils being marketed and sold like rare artworks at vast prices by auction houses is very concerning, as is the idea of buying dinosaur fossils as a status symbol or a commodity," said professor Richard Butler, a vertebrate paleontologist at England's University of Birmingham.
Butler noted that expensive commercial sales prevent public institutions from acquiring these specimens for study.
"A fossil not in a recognised museum collection cannot be studied and is therefore lost to research.
Fossils have been bought and sold for hundreds of years, but prices are increasingly out of the reach of museums, much to the detriment of science," said Butler.
Other experts noted that while the transaction complies with United States property laws, the ethical implications for the scientific community remain troubling.
"As this dinosaur was found in the USA, and in America you can do what you want with what you find on your land, the auction looks to be legal," said professor Stephen Brusatte, of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Brusatte emphasized that the sale still raises valid academic apprehensions.
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"But as a scientist, it still concerns me," said Brusatte.
