A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed “Gus” sold for $50.1 million at a recent Sotheby’s auction, setting a new record for the highest price ever paid for a fossil at auction.
The winning bidder participated by phone and chose to remain anonymous after roughly 10 minutes of bidding, according to Sotheby’s. The final price exceeded the auction house’s pre-sale estimate of $20 million to $30 million.
The sale surpassed the previous fossil auction record, set in 2024 when the stegosaurus skeleton “Apex” sold for $44.6 million. It also eclipsed the nearly $32 million paid for the T. rex skeleton “Stan” in 2020.
One of the Largest T. Rex Specimens Ever Found
Gus was discovered on private land in South Dakota in 2021 and named after landowner Gary “Gus” Licking. The fossil underwent several years of excavation, restoration, and mounting before being offered for sale.
According to Sotheby’s, the adult dinosaur stands about 12.5 feet tall and measures approximately 38 feet long, making it “one of the largest and most complete” T rex ever found. The skeleton consists of 183 fossil bones and is about 61% complete by bone count, representing roughly 75% to 80% of the dinosaur’s total bone mass.
Researchers said the specimen includes an exceptionally preserved skull, two well-preserved feet, a furcula, or wishbone, and numerous gastralia, commonly known as belly ribs, which are rarely recovered. Bite marks and healed fractures found throughout the skeleton also provide clues about injuries the animal sustained during its lifetime.
“This result has been years in the making,” Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s vice chairman and global head of science and natural history, said in a statement, The Guardian reported. “Gus is not only an exceptional find, but a specimen that’s been excavated, documented, prepared, and cared for with real excellence.”
Scientists Raise Concerns Over Private Ownership
The sale also renewed concerns among paleontologists who argue that scientifically significant fossils should remain accessible to researchers and the public.
“Our hope is that the new owner recognizes the extraordinary scientific and educational value of Gus the T. rex and that they aim to keep it in the public trust by immediately donating it to an accredited natural history museum,” Society of Vertebrate Paleontology President-elect Kristi Curry Rogers said in a statement, per the Associated Press.
Professor Richard Butler, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Birmingham, also criticized the growing market for dinosaur fossils, telling The Guardian that specimens held in private collections can become unavailable for scientific study.
A Prehistoric Icon
Tyrannosaurus rex, whose name translates to “King of the Tyrant Lizards,” lived during the late Cretaceous period about 67 million years ago and remains one of the best-known prehistoric predators. The species has become a fixture of popular culture through films such as Jurassic Park and children’s television programs, including Barney.
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