A fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed “Gus” sold for $50.1 million, including fees, at an auction in New York on Tuesday, setting a new record for the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction. The final price far exceeded Sotheby’s pre-sale estimate of $20 million to $30 million.
The skeleton was uncovered during excavations conducted between 2021 and 2023 on a ranch in Harding County, South Dakota. The dinosaur was named after landowner Gary “Gus” Licking, whose property yielded the remarkable discovery.
Researchers estimate that Gus lived about 67 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. Auction house Sotheby’s describes the specimen as one of the largest T. rex skeletons ever found. It measures about 38 feet (11.6 meters) long, stands 12.5 feet (3.8 meters) tall, has a 54-inch (1.37-meter) skull, and a 50.4-inch (1.28-meter) femur.
Rare skeleton preserves remarkable details
The mounted skeleton includes 183 fossilized bones and 30 of the 32 gastralia, or belly ribs, which are rarely preserved in dinosaur fossils. Overall, the specimen is about 61% complete by bone count and 75% to 80% complete by bone mass, making it one of the best-preserved large T. rex specimens known.
Because the original skull is exceptionally large and heavy, it is displayed separately from the mounted skeleton. A replica skull is attached to the display, while the original has been exhibited in Sotheby’s New York headquarters ahead of the auction.
A 67-million-year-old T. rex fossil named Gus has become the most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction, fetching a record $50.1 million at Sotheby's.
The sale has also reignited debate over whether scientifically important fossils belong in private collections or museums. pic.twitter.com/NfW0tEqYi9
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) July 15, 2026
The fossil also records evidence of the dinosaur’s violent life. According to Sotheby’s, researchers identified bite marks on the skull and lower jaw that may have resulted from combat with another tyrannosaur or scavenging after death. Several healed fractures in the ribs and belly ribs show the animal survived serious injuries during its lifetime.
Sale renews record books
The auction surpassed the previous record for a dinosaur fossil, set in 2024 when the Stegosaurus skeleton Apex sold for $44.6 million, also through Sotheby’s.
“This result has been years in the making,” said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s vice chairman and global head of science and natural history. She said Gus had been excavated, documented, prepared and preserved to an exceptionally high standard. Not all scientists welcomed the record-breaking sale.
Scientists question private ownership
The record-breaking sale has renewed debate among paleontologists over whether scientifically important fossils should enter private collections. Some researchers argue that specimens of this importance should remain in museums or public institutions where they can be studied and displayed.
“The current trend towards dinosaur fossils being marketed and sold like rare artworks at vast prices by auction houses is very concerning,” Richard Butler, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Birmingham, told The Guardian. He said fossils in private collections are often inaccessible to researchers and museums.
Stephen Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh, said the sale appears to comply with U.S. law because the fossil was discovered on private land. However, he said the outcome still raises concerns from a scientific perspective.
In countries including Brazil and Mongolia, fossils are generally considered state property, helping ensure that significant discoveries remain available for scientific research and public collections.
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