T. rex sells for $50M, most expensive dinosaur fossil in auction
A Tyrannosaurus rex fossil named 'Gus' sold at a Sotheby's auction for $50.1 million, setting a new record for the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold. The sale reflects a growing trend of wealthy collectors investing in rare natural history specimens.
Why it matters
The commercialization of paleontological specimens raises concerns among scientists regarding the loss of scientific data and public access to fossils.
A Tyrannosaurus rex specimen sold at Sotheby's for $50.1 million, becoming the most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction.
Riding a boom in dinosaur prices at auction, the T. rex, named "Gus," blew past its price estimate of $20 million to $30 million after a 10-minute bidding war between seven bidders. It broke the record sale by Sotheby's of a Stegosaurus skeleton nicknamed "Apex" in 2024 for $44.6 million, bought by billionaire hedge funder Ken Griffin .
Gus was discovered in South Dakota and is about 67 million years old. Touted as one of the most complete dinosaur specimens ever found, Gus has 183 fossil bone elements and is about 61% complete by bone count. It is about 38 feet long, about 12.5 feet tall and has a skull length of 54 inches, making it one of the largest T. rex fossils ever found, according to Sotheby's.
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