A ROAR DEAL

Super Rare Dinosaur Skeleton Sells for Jaw-Dropping Fee

The buyer has not been publicly identified.

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A rare dinosaur skeleton has fetched a staggering $47.3 million at auction, making it one of the most expensive fossils ever sold. The 19.6-foot-long specimen, named “Jodi” in honor of its 2019 discoverer, was sold by Sotheby’s in New York on Tuesday after a 12-minute bidding war involving six bidders. The price smashed expectations, with the auction house having estimated it would sell for between $6 million and $9 million. The sale ranks Jodi as the second-priciest dinosaur fossil ever auctioned, according to Sotheby’s. Discovered in Montana in 2019, Jodi is 9.6 feet in height and comprises around 191 fossilized bones. Sotheby’s said the specimen’s size and fully developed bones indicate it belonged to an adult dinosaur. It is one of just three substantial Nanotyrannus skeletons known to science. The smaller relative of Tyrannosaurus rex lived around 67 million years ago. The buyer has not been publicly identified. A T. rex fossil, nicknamed “Gus,” sold at auction for $50.1 million earlier this year.