A massive and highly complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is set to go under the hammer at Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday.
The prehistoric specimen, nicknamed "Gus," is expected to fetch between $20 million and $30 million.
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This auction follows a recent trend where dinosaur fossils command astronomical prices, similar to rare masterpieces in the art market.
In 2024, a Stegosaurus named Apex set a record by selling for $44.6 million at a Sotheby's event, which was 11 times its original listing price.
Gus stands approximately 3.8 meters tall in a predatory stance and is estimated to be around 67 million years old.
Discovery and Excavation
The commercial firm Theropoda Expeditions excavated the adult dinosaur over three years starting in 2021 on a ranch in Harding County, South Dakota.
Landowner Gary "Gus" Licking granted permission for the dig but passed away before researchers completed the excavation process.
Field prospector Cole Jacobs discovered the remains on his first day on the site after spotting a metatarsal bone protruding from the earth.
While the discovery marks a significant find, the commercial sale of such specimens worries global scientific communities.
University of Birmingham vertebrate paleontologist Prof Richard Butler expressed deep concern over marketing fossils as status symbols or commodities.
"A fossil not in a recognized 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," he said.
