Nanotyrannus skeleton Jodi sells for $67m, far exceeding auction expectations
A 2.9-metre Nanotyrannus skeleton nicknamed Jodi sold at auction for $47.3 million USD, seven times its estimated value.
The fossil was found in 2019 on a Montana ranch. Sotheby's initially estimated it would fetch $6 to $9 million.
The final price of $47.3 million beat recent prices for larger dinosaur fossils but fell short of a T. rex that sold for $50.1 million in June. Nanotyrannus remains at the centre of some scientific debate: Is it a distinct species, or just an adolescent T. rex?
A study in Nature last year suggested it is a separate species, Nanotyrannus lancensis. Some disagreement still exists among paleontologists.
- $47.3 million USD
- Auction price
- 2.9 metres tall, 6 metres long
- Skeleton size
- Montana ranch, Hell Creek Formation
- Discovery location
- 2019
- Found
Why it mattersThe soaring price shows growing collector demand for fossils. But scientists worry: valuable specimens end up in private hands when they should stay available for public research and study.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect, though the auction highlights the global market for dinosaur fossils and the ongoing debate about which natural history specimens should remain publicly accessible.
Corroborated bytheguardian.com
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 5 h ago
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