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Greshko spotted a clue in monthly U.S. export totals -- specifically an entry for $31,847,500, Stan's precise price, due for the United Arab Emirates.

“Because Stan is such as high value item and this is such a niche commodity, Stan casts a long financial shadow on these data sets,\" Greshko said.

“I was very confident it had been exported to the United Arab Emirates, and then the UAE happened to reach out to me about this museum project ... and everything fell into place from there,” he said.

BREAKING: I tracked down Stan, the T. rex that vanished after it was sold for $31.8 million in a record 2020 auction. It's going to be in a huge natural history museum being built in Abu Dhabi, the UAE's capital.https://t.co/GfUGwUNYkZ

This story was a wild ride. THREAD

— Michael Greshko (@michaelgreshko) March 23, 2022

Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi announced Wednesday it will house Stan as part of an ambitious exhibit and research program to chronicle and study the history of life on Earth.

The identity of the anonymous buyer, however, remains unknown. And the effects of Stan's colossal price could still reverberate throughout the bone hunting world.

\"It remains to be seen how Stan’s record-breaking price will affect thee global legal and illegal trade in fossils,\" Greshko said. \"I know that academic paleontologists around the world are watching that very closely.\"

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