Fossilized Nanotyrannus Sells for $47.3 Million at Sotheby’s Auction
A rare dinosaur skeleton known as Jodi has sold for $47.3 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, becoming the second most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction. The specimen, initially misidentified as a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, features 191 preserved bone elements including a nearly complete skull. Six bidders competed for the skeleton over a 12-minute bidding war on October 27, 2026, pushing the final price far beyond early estimates. The identity of the winning bidder remains undisclosed.
The sale places Jodi just behind the T. rex skeleton named Gus, which fetched $50.1 million in July 2026, and ahead of the Stegosaurus skeleton Apex, which sold for $44.6 million in July 2024. Sotheby’s noted that Jodi is one of only three relatively complete Nanotyrannus skeletons known to science, and it is the first specimen of the genus to be auctioned since its existence was confirmed by US researchers in October 2025. Standing approximately three meters tall with a body length reaching about six meters, the skeleton was described by Sotheby’s as ready for display. The specimen was discovered on land in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana by rancher Jodi Pierson and excavated by commercial paleontologist Clayton Phipps. Jodi had previously been exhibited as a young T. rex at the Frieze Masters international art fair in London in October 2023 before the Nanotyrannus classification was confirmed. Clayton Phipps also discovered the famous “Dueling Dinosaurs” specimen, which shows the remains of a Nanotyrannus and a Triceratops apparently fighting and was found eight miles (13 km) from Jodi in 2006. The discovery of the “Dueling Dinosaurs” was crucial for research published by Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli that classified Nanotyrannus as a distinct species from T. rex.
Scientific Classification and the Debate Over Private Collectors
For decades, paleontologists debated whether Nanotyrannus represented a distinct genus or merely a juvenile T. rex, with the animal having been considered one of the greatest puzzles in paleontology for nearly 30 years. That debate shifted in October 2025 when researchers confirmed the genus as a separate species, supported by studies of growth rings in fossilized foot bones—similar to tree rings—that indicated the animal was about 20 years old and had reached adulthood when it died. Megan Jacobs, a paleontologist at the University of Portsmouth, noted that the species features a smaller, sleeker frame with blade-like teeth suited for slicing flesh, living alongside T. rex roughly 67 juta tahun lalu during the Late Cretaceous period. The presence of Nanotyrannus as a distinct species indicates the possibility that more than one large predator lived side by side in North America leading up to the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 juta tahun lalu, meaning the ancient ecosystem may have been much more complex than previously understood.
The high-stakes auction has drawn sharp criticism from researchers who fear critical specimens are disappearing into private vaults. Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh and a scientific consultant for the Jurassic Park film series, told the BBC that the sale of such a scientifically vital skeleton to private hands is deeply disappointing. He argued that museum and university budgets cannot compete with ultra-wealthy bidders, effectively blocking public access and impeding future study.
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