T. rex skeleton 'Gus' sells for record $50.1 million at Sotheby's

The Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton known as "Gus" has been sold at Sotheby's in New York for $50.1 million, setting a new world record for the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction. The sale far exceeded its pre-auction estimate of $20–30 million Source: CNN.

The fossil

Discovered in 2021 on a cattle ranch in Harding County, South Dakota, Gus was excavated over three summers by Thomas Heitkamp and his team from Theropoda Expeditions Source: ABC. The skeleton contains 183 fossilized bones, representing about 61–63% of the total skeleton by bone count and up to 80% by mass Source: El Caribe. It measures 11.6 meters in length and 3.8 meters in height, making it one of the largest T. rex specimens ever found Source: Listín Diario. The fossil dates from the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 67 million years ago, and was recovered from the Hell Creek Formation Source: CNN.

• The previous record was held by "Apex," a stegosaurus sold at Sotheby's in 2024 for $44.6 million to hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin Source: La Vanguardia.
• Earlier T. rex sales include "Stan" for $31.8 million in 2020 and "Sue" for $8.4 million in 1997 Source: El Caribe.

Controversy over private ownership

The growing market for dinosaur fossils has drawn criticism from paleontologists, who argue that scientifically valuable specimens should remain in public institutions. The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology stated that fossils like Gus should be permanently housed in public research collections Source: La Vanguardia. Cassandra Hatton of Sotheby's noted that "the United States is the only country in the world where fossils like this are considered personal property" Source: Listín Diario. Gus was named in honor of the late Gary "Gus" Licking, the rancher on whose land the fossil was found. The buyer's identity remains anonymous Source: CNN.