A 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton has sold at auction for a record sum

At an auction held by Sotheby's, one of the largest Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever found was sold for $50.1 million. Known as "Gus," the fossil is 61% complete in terms of bone count and is thought to be about 67 million years old.

Sotheby's said that the skeleton, which includes 183 fossil bone elements, was sold within 10 minutes after a competition between 7 bidders at the auction house. Cassandra Hatton, vice president of Sotheby's and global head of the Department of Science and Natural History, explained that the fossil was discovered "for the first time about 5 years ago in the state of South Dakota (US) near Harding County, on a vast plot of land on a private farm."

“It was named Gus after the rancher who owned the land,” she added. The sale set a new auction record for a dinosaur fossil, surpassing "Stan," a Tyrannosaurus rex, which sold for $31.8 million in 2020, and "Apex," a stegosaurus, which held the previous record after selling for $44.6 million in 2024.