A Tyrannosaurus rex fossil nicknamed "Gus" sold for $50.1 million at Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday, making it the most expensive dinosaur skeleton ever auctioned. The 67-million-year-old specimen, unearthed in 2021 on a South Dakota ranch, surpassed the previous record of nearly $45 million set by a stegosaurus in 2024. An anonymous phone bidder outbid six others during a 10-minute session. The fossil had been estimated at $20 million to $30 million [1].
Gus stands roughly 12.5 feet tall and 38 feet long, and is about 61% complete with an exceptionally preserved skull. It includes rarely found bones such as a furcula, or wishbone. The specimen is named after ranch owner Gary Licking, who died during the five-year excavation and restoration process.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology urged the buyer to place Gus in a public museum. Previous record-holding fossils, including Sue the T. rex and the stegosaurus Apex, are on display at the Field Museum in Chicago and the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, respectively.