A rare Tyrannosaurus rex fossil believed to be one of the largest and most complete ever discovered has been sold at auction for more than $50 million to an anonymous bidder.
Sotheby’s in New York said the 67-million-year-old fossil, nicknamed Gus, is now the more expensive set of dinosaur bones ever auctioned, sold for $50.1 million, surpassing the price of almost $45 million for an almost complete stegosaurus sold by the same auction house in 2024.
Before that, the record went to a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed Stan, which sold for nearly $32 million in 2020.
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Gus, a 38 foot long T.rexIt’s 63 percent complete, according to Sotheby’s, and those bones make up 75 to 80 percent of the animal’s total mass.
Standing with tail extended and right foot slightly raised, Gus is an adult dinosaur specimen that stands approximately 12 and a half feet (3.8 meters) tall and has been remarkably well preserved, with a jaw full of teeth, two “well-represented” feet, and a number of rarely found bones, including a furcula or wishbone.
The dinosaur was discovered in 2021 on a cattle ranch in South Dakota, near where a team of paleontologists had just completed another excavation. Within a few days of searching, a metatarsal was found and an excavation and reconstruction was carried out that lasted five years and involved more than 1,000 pieces.
The head of ‘Gus’, part of a T. rex skeleton, appears during a press preview at Sotheby’s Breuer Building in New York on July 1, 2026. The 67-million-year-old skeleton was found during an excavation on private land in South Dakota. Composed of 183 fossil bones, it is one of the most complete T. rex fossils ever found.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images
It is named after the ranch’s owner, Gary Licking, who died during the excavation.
“Gus is not only an exceptional find, but a specimen that has been excavated, documented, prepared and cared for with true excellence,” Cassandra Hatton, vice president of Sotheby’s, said after the sale on Tuesday.
“The market responds when large specimens are cared for properly,” he added.
The auction house said the highest bidder, who participated by phone, remains anonymous and outspent six other potential buyers during a 10-minute battle, and auctioneer Phyllis Kao convinced them to “take a bigger bite” at one point during the exchange.
The private sale of the fossil has irritated the scientific community, which says a specimen of its size and importance should be displayed in museums and other research institutions so that it can be “preserved, documented and accessible for future generations.”
“Our hope is that the new owner will recognize the extraordinary scientific and educational value of Gus the T. rex and intend to keep it in the public trust by immediately donating it to an accredited natural history museum,” Kristi Curry Rogers, president-elect of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, an advocacy group of scientists, academics and students, said in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
“Such a result would ensure that this remarkable specimen continues to advance science, rather than becoming unavailable for study.”
The piece was estimated to fetch between $20 and $30 million before sale.
– with files from Associated Press
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