T. Rex Fossil Named ‘gus’ Becomes The Most Expensive Dinosaur Sold At Auction

A Tyrannosaurus rex fossil named “Gus” became nan astir costly dinosaur ever to waste astatine auction connected Tuesday.

Gus sold for $50,130,000—far supra nan estimated $20- to $30-million value tag that had been group earlier by nan auction house, Sotheby’s.

The skeleton stands astir 12.5 feet (3.8 meters) gangly and is astir 38 feet long—the dinosaur’s skull unsocial is immoderate 4.5 feet long, according to Sotheby’s, and weighs truthful overmuch that it must beryllium handled separately. (The skull mounted connected nan fossil skeleton that is presently displayed astatine nan auction location is simply a replica.) The skeleton is estimated to beryllium astir 61 percent complete, and Sotheby’s says this makes it among nan astir complete T. rex fossils ever found.

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Gus is unusual, according to nan auction house, because nan fossil retains immoderate gastralia bones. These bones, besides known arsenic “belly ribs,” are free-floating bones located successful nan abdominal wall. They are still recovered successful definite reptiles, specified arsenic crocodiles and tuatara, today.

The 67-million-year-old skeleton, recovered during an excavation connected backstage onshore successful South Dakota and comprising 183 fossil bones, representing up to 80 percent of nan animal's full bony mass.

Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images

The fossil was discovered successful 2021 connected a South Dakota ranch. It is believed to beryllium astir 67 cardinal years old. The bones carnivore grounds of wound marks from different tyrannosaurs, which Sotheby’s said whitethorn person been “sustained by either combat aliases post-mortem scavenging.” Gus besides shows signs of “injuries which occurred during nan life of nan individual, pinch fractured and healed bones discernable successful respective ribs and gastralia.”

The worth of Gus eclipses that of “Stan,” different T. rex fossil recovered successful South Dakota that sold successful October 2020 for $31.8 cardinal to nan authorities of Abu Dhabi, and “Apex,” a Stegosaurus that was bought successful 2024 for $44,600,000 by billionaire Ken Griffiths. Gus went to an chartless telephone bidder.

Scientists person long-criticized auctioning disconnected dinosaur fossils for illustration these, arguing that allowing backstage buyers to ain specified specimens deprives paleontologists nan opportunity to study them. And nan utmost prices nan fossils bid mean astir museums aliases world institutions can’t compete successful a bidding war.