A massive fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed Gus sold for a record-breaking $50.1 million with fees to a telephone bidder at a Sotheby's auction in New York on Tuesday.
The sale price for the 67-million-year-old specimen significantly exceeded the initial pre-sale estimate of $20 million to $30 million.
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The transaction surpassed the previous auction record for a dinosaur fossil, which was established in 2024 when a stegosaurus named Apex sold for $44.6 million.
Discovery and Description
Commercial fossil outfit Theropoda Expeditions excavated the skeleton between 2021 and 2023 on a ranch in Harding County, South Dakota.
The dinosaur was named after Gary "Gus" Licking, the owner of the land where the specimen was discovered.
The mounted skeleton measures 12.5 feet tall and approximately 38 feet long, featuring a 54-inch skull and a 50.39-inch femur.
Due to its immense weight, the actual skull sits in the lobby of Sotheby's Breuer building while a reproduction head is fitted onto the main display.
According to Sotheby's, the specimen contains 183 fossil bone elements, including 30 rare gastralia, making it roughly 61 percent complete by bone count and 75 to 80 percent complete by bone mass.
Pathologies on the bones reveal fractured and healed ribs alongside bite marks from combat or scavenging.
Scientific Concerns
The auction sparked significant scientific debate regarding the private sale of historically important fossils.
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