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Rare T. rex fossil sells for record $50.1 million at auction
CNN • • science
Key Points:
- A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named Gus from South Dakota sold for a record $50.13 million at Sotheby’s in New York, becoming the most expensive fossil ever auctioned.
- Gus is about 67 million years old, 38 feet long, and 12.5 feet tall, with 183 fossil bones making it approximately 61% complete by bone count and 75-80% by mass.
- The fossil includes rare features such as a mostly complete skull, wishbone, pelvis, and both feet, and shows evidence of bite marks and fractures the dinosaur survived.
- Unlike many fossils, Gus comes with full rights and no copyrighted bones, allowing the buyer potential to license or produce casts, possibly competing with the well-known Stan T. rex specimen.
- The buyer remains anonymous, and there is concern in the scientific community that privately held fossils like Gus may be lost to scientific study due to limited access for research and verification.
