A 67 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) fossil has been sold for US$50.1 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York – the most ever paid for a dinosaur.
The fossil of this infamous predator stands more than four metres tall, and with over 60% of its bones recovered is one of ‘the most complete’ specimens ever found, according to Sotheby’s.
The winning bidder at the sale has not yet been disclosed.
Gus, as the dinosaur has been named, was discovered in 2021 on a remote ranch in South Dakota, United States.
“This result has been years in the making,” says Sotheby worldwide head of science and natural history Cassandra Hatton.
“Gus is not only an exceptional find, but a specimen that’s been excavated, documented, prepared and cared for with real excellence.”
The sale exceeded the previous record set by a stegosaurus in 2024, and is the first to exceed the US$50 million benchmark.
Some scientists say the auction may herald a new era in fossil collecting by the ultra-rich.
Hatton says the price paid reflects the time and resources that went into uncovering the specimen.
The bones were excavated over three summers, when it was warm enough for the ground to have thawed, from 2021 to 2023.
But it took a further three years in the lab to piece the T-Rex back together.
This work revealed the skull had bite marks, and previously broken ribs that had healed in its lifetime.
Both injuries were potentially sustained during scavenging or during a battle with other dinosaurs.
It may be some time before the buyer is revealed, but Apex, the stegosaurus who held the last record, was loaned out to the American Museum of Natural History for four years by its billionaire-owner Kenneth Griffin.
So, even if Gus has attracted an ultra-wealthy buyer it still might be coming to a museum. – BBC
