T Rex sells for record US$50 million at Sotheby’s auction
A Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton named Gus sold for US$50.1 million at a Sotheby's auction on July 14, 2026, setting a new record for the highest price ever paid for a dinosaur fossil. The previous record was US$44.6 million for a stegosaurus named Apex in 2022. Gus, discovered on a cattle ranch in Harding County, South Dakota, is described as one of the largest and most complete T-Rex skeletons ever found, being 61% complete by bone count and up to 80% complete by bone mass. The buyer was not immediately identified. The sale highlights growing investor interest in dinosaur fossils as collectibles, but also draws criticism from scientists who argue private ownership makes specimens inaccessible for research. The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology opposed the sale.
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