Nanotyrannus fossil Jodi sells for $47.3 million at Sotheby’s

A rare Nanotyrannus skeleton, named Jodi, was sold for $47.3 million during a 12-minute auction at Sotheby’s in New York on October 27. The sale price significantly exceeded the initial estimate of $6 million to $9 million, making it the second most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold, following a Tyrannosaurus rex named Gus, which fetched $50.1 million in July.

Discovered in 2019 on a ranch in Montana’s Hell Creek formation by Jodi Pierson, the specimen is approximately 6 meters long and 2.9 meters tall. It consists of 191 fossilized bone elements and includes a well-preserved skull. The sale is particularly notable because it is the first Nanotyrannus to reach the market since scientific research last year confirmed it as a distinct species rather than a juvenile T. rex.

The high price and private sale have sparked debate within the scientific community. Some paleontologists express concern that significant fossils entering private collections may become inaccessible for public research and museum exhibition.