A T. rex found in South Dakota could smash auction records - and possibly disappear forever
A rare T. rex skeleton named 'Gus' is set for auction at Sotheby's, potentially breaking price records. The sale has sparked debate among paleontologists regarding the ethics of private ownership of significant scientific fossils.
Why it matters
The commercialization of fossils raises concerns about the loss of scientific data when important specimens are sold to private collectors rather than museums.
Before he became the namesake of one of the largest predators that ever lived - or made it into the footnotes of an auction catalogue - the late Gary "Gus" Licking, a cattle rancher in South Dakota, had always suspected his land was hiding something big.
The Licking ranch sits within the Hell Creek Formation, a legendary geological boneyard that stretches across Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas. It's the most important place in the world for the most famous of dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex. One of the first skeletons of T. rex was found there in 1902, and the name T. rex was given to the species based on fossils unearthed in this area.
Stan, an almost-complete T. rex skeleton discovered miles up the road from Licking's place, sold at auction in 2020 for US$31.8 million, a record at the time.
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