A Rare Nanotyrannus Skeleton Sells for $47.3 Million, Becoming the Second Most Valuable Dinosaur Ever Auctioned

A nearly complete skeleton identified as Nanotyrannus has sold for $47.3 million, placing it second among the most expensive dinosaur specimens ever offered at auction. Sotheby’s did not identify the buyer of the fossil, known as “Jodi,” whose sale comes roughly a year after research supplied the strongest reported case that Nanotyrannus should be recognized apart from Tyrannosaurus rex.

The price reflects more than rarity in the fossil market. For decades, scientists have disagreed about smaller tyrannosaur fossils: some saw them as evidence of a distinct genus, while others considered them young members of the better-known T. rex lineage. The newer research did not erase every question surrounding tyrannosaur evolution, but it gave renewed weight to the argument that Nanotyrannus was its own animal.

“Jodi” is described as the most complete Nanotyrannus skeleton known. The specimen dates to about 67 million years ago and stood close to 10 feet high. From end to end, it measured a little more than 19 feet. It is an adult individual, an important point in a debate that has often turned on whether smaller bones represented a separate species or simply an earlier stage of growth.

Only three largely complete skeletons attributed to Nanotyrannus are known. Jodi preserves an unusually broad set of remains, including the skull, about 50 teeth, the pelvic structure, numerous limb bones, claws, and many vertebrae and ribs. That degree of preservation makes the fossil useful not only as a dramatic auction object but also as a concentrated record of the animal’s anatomy.

The remains were found in 2019 on property owned by Montana rancher Jodi Pierson, after whom the skeleton was named. They came from the Hell Creek Formation, a productive fossil-bearing band of rock extending through parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. The formation is associated with the final stretch of the dinosaur era and continues to yield material central to questions about the animals that lived then.

Pierson’s cousin, commercial paleontologist Clayton Phipps, led the excavation. Known by the nickname “Dinosaur Cowboy,” Phipps recovered the bones from the site after the discovery. The find’s path—from a private ranch to an auction room—also puts attention on a recurring tension in paleontology: spectacular fossils may generate public interest and high prices, while researchers’ ability to examine them can depend on where they ultimately reside.

For supporters of the separate-genus interpretation, the sale arrives at a moment when Jodi’s identity has particular scientific resonance. An adult specimen with so much of its skeleton intact can be especially relevant when investigators compare body proportions, skull features and other traits against those of T. rex. The fossil’s commercial sale, however, does not by itself settle the scientific classification that has divided specialists.

The auction result also underscores how a change in scientific understanding can reshape the perceived significance of a specimen. If a fossil is treated as a juvenile of a famous dinosaur, it occupies one place in the public imagination; if it is viewed as evidence of a separate tyrannosaur, it can take on a different importance. Jodi’s value was driven by its completeness, age and rarity, alongside that newly strengthened taxonomic case.

What happens next may matter as much as the hammer price. Sotheby’s has kept the purchaser’s name private, leaving unanswered whether the skeleton will be displayed publicly, made available for additional study, or remain in a private collection. Researchers will continue to assess the evidence for Nanotyrannus, and Jodi’s future access could influence how fully this unusually complete specimen contributes to that work.

Source: Smithsonian Magazine