At an auction held in New York, USA, an almost complete Tyrannosaurus rex (T-rex) skeleton was sold for 50.1 million dollars, becoming the most expensive dinosaur fossil sold at auction.
According to CBS News, the T-rex skeleton, consisting of 183 bones, approximately 3.8 meters high and 11.6 meters long, was put up for sale by auction house Sotheby's in New York.
Although Sotheby's announced that it expected the fully assembled skeleton to be sold for between 20 and 30 million dollars, the skeleton was sold for 50.1 million dollars in the auction, which lasted approximately 10 minutes and was attended by 7 people.
The T-rex fossil, the most expensive dinosaur fossil sold at auction, also contains many rare rib samples. The fossil is known as one of the largest and best-preserved T-rex skeletons ever discovered.
The approximately 67-million-year-old skeleton is named "Gus" in memory of Gary "Gus" Licking, a deceased cattle breeder who owned the land where the fossils were found.
The previous record belonged to the Stegosaurus skeleton called "Apex", which was sold by Sotheby's for approximately 45 million dollars in July 2024.