A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton known as "Gus" was sold on Tuesday for $50.1 million (approximately Rs 482 crore) at Sotheby's in New York. The sale followed a fierce ten minute bidding contest between seven interested buyers, and the fossil is now the most valuable dinosaur skeleton ever sold at auction.
Gus is regarded as one of the most complete T. rex skeletons in the world, made up of 183 fossilised bones. It was uncovered on a cattle ranch in South Dakota in 2021.
The dinosaur is believed to have lived between 72 and 66 million years ago, during a period marked by a warm climate, high sea levels, and wide, floodable coastal plains.
Measuring 38 feet (11.6 metres) in length, Gus ranks among the largest T. rex specimens ever found. The skeleton is roughly 63 percent complete.
"Gus" - A Mounted Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton.
Photo Credit: www.sothebys.com
Tuesday's purchase by an anonymous buyer highlights a surging market for dinosaur bones -- a trend that has drawn criticism from some paleontologists over the specimens going into private hands.
"The United States is the only country in the world where fossils like this are considered personal property," Cassandra Hatton, head of science and natural history at Sotheby's, told AFP before the auction.
"If you own the land, you own the fossil and you have the right to sell it. So if you want a dinosaur, this is the only place that you can get it," she said.
The previous record for a fossil auction was "Apex" the Stegosaurus, bought for $44.6 million in 2024 by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin.
(With inputs from AFP)
