Rare Nanotyrannus Skeleton Sells for $47.3 Million at New York Auction
Sale of ‘Jodi,’ a smaller relative of T. rex, makes it the ‘second most valuable dinosaur ever sold at auction,’ according to Sotheby’s.
TL;DR
- A Nanotyrannus skeleton, named 'Jodi,' sold for $47.3 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York.
- The final price significantly exceeded the auction house's initial estimate of $6 million to $9 million.
- 'Jodi' is now the second most valuable dinosaur skeleton ever sold at auction.
- The skeleton was discovered in 2019 by Jodi Pierson on her private land in Montana.
- Nanotyrannus is described as a fast, specialized carnivorous tyrannosaurid distinct from T. rex, living about 67 million years ago.
- This is one of only three substantial Nanotyrannus skeletons known to science and the first to be offered for sale since the genus was confirmed.
- Some scientists criticize such auctions, arguing that valuable fossils should remain accessible for scientific study and public viewing.