News summary produced by Claude AI
A 67 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex specimen sold at Sotheby’s in New York on Tuesday for £37.4m, equivalent to approximately $50.1m, establishing a new record for the highest price paid for a dinosaur at auction. The fossil, informally named Gus, stands more than 12 feet tall and represents one of the most complete specimens recovered, with over 60% of its skeletal structure intact, according to the auction house.
Gus was discovered in 2021 on a remote ranch in South Dakota. The excavation process spanned three summers from 2021 to 2023, when seasonal thawing made ground access possible. Following the initial discovery and extraction, researchers spent an additional three years in laboratory conditions carefully reassembling and studying the skeleton.
The preparation and analysis revealed notable details about the specimen’s history. The skull bears bite marks, and the skeleton shows evidence of previously broken ribs that healed during the animal’s lifetime. These injuries may have resulted from scavenging activities or confrontations with other dinosaurs.
The sale surpassed the previous record set by a stegosaurus specimen in 2024 and marks the first dinosaur fossil to exceed the $50 million threshold. The identity of the winning bidder has not been publicly disclosed. According to Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s worldwide head of science and natural history, the price reflects the considerable investment of time and resources required for proper excavation, documentation, and preparation. Some scientists have suggested the transaction may indicate a shifting landscape in high-value fossil acquisition among wealthy collectors. Historical precedent suggests the specimen could potentially be loaned to museums despite its private ownership, as occurred with the previous record-holding stegosaurus.