Mystery Buyer Pays $72 Million AUD for Rare T
A T-rex fossil named Gus sold for a record-breaking US$50.1 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York. The sale has sparked debate among palaeontologists regarding the ethics of private ownership versus public scientific access to significant fossils.
Why it matters
It highlights the growing trend of high-value dinosaur fossils being treated as luxury assets, potentially limiting scientific research.
A giant Tyrannosaurus rex known as Gus has rewritten the record books after selling for an astonishing US$50.1 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York. The result makes the prehistoric predator the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction.
The sale attracted intense interest, with seven bidders competing over roughly 10 minutes before an anonymous buyer secured the fossil. Auction organisers had estimated the skeleton would fetch between US$20 million and US$30 million, making the final result well above expectations.
Named after ranch owner Gary "Gus" Licking, the dinosaur was discovered on private land in South Dakota. Excavation work began in 2021 and continued over several years, ultimately revealing one of the largest and most complete T-rex specimens ever uncovered.
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