Nanotyrannus skeleton "Jodi" sells for $47.3m at Sotheby's New York

Centre · 2A mounted skeleton of a Nanotyrannus nicknamed "Jodi" went under the hammer at Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday 27 October 2026, with a pre-sale estimate of $6m to $9m. 1 2 Centre · 1Anadolu Agency, citing The New York Times, reported the final price including auction fees as $47.3m, and said the buyer's identity was not immediately disclosed. 2 Centre · 2That made "Jodi" the second-most-expensive dinosaur fossil sold at auction, behind the T. rex "Gus", which fetched $50.1m at Sotheby's in July, and ahead of the $44.6m paid in 2024 for the Stegosaurus "Apex". 2 1

Centre · 2Sotheby's describes the roughly 67-million-year-old specimen as exhibition-ready, with about 191 fossil bone elements from a single animal and a near-complete skull; Anadolu says the skull has 53 bones and about 50 teeth. 1 2 Centre · 2It measures about 6m (19.6ft) from nose to tail and stands about 2.9m (9.5ft) tall on its frame, which the BBC rounds to roughly 3m. 2 1 Centre · 2Sotheby's calls it one of only three Nanotyrannus skeletons known to science and the first to come to market since research confirmed the genus as distinct. 1 2

Centre · 2The skeleton was found on a Montana ranch owned by Jodi Pierson and excavated by commercial palaeontologist Clayton Phipps; Anadolu dates the find and excavation to 2019, and says it entered a private collection in 2021. The outlets spell the geological formation differently (BBC "Hall Creek", Anadolu "Hell Creek"). 1 2 Centre · 2It was shown at London's Frieze Masters fair in October 2023 as a juvenile T. rex, before the genus was classified. 1 2 Centre · 2Research published in 2025, by Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli and drawing on the "Dueling Dinosaurs" fossil also found by Phipps, concluded Nanotyrannus was a distinct, smaller predator that lived alongside T. rex about 67 million years ago, ending a debate of more than eight decades. Anadolu reports more than 150 anatomical differences, including longer arms, larger hand claws and more teeth. 1 2

Centre · 1Palaeontologist Megan Jenkins of the University of Portsmouth told the BBC that Nanotyrannus is smaller and more slender than T. rex, with blade-like teeth for slicing meat. 1 Centre · 1The sale fuels a debate among scientists about whether dinosaur remains should be privately owned. Prof Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh called it "harrowing" that "Jodi" could vanish into a collector's vault, and said after the July "Gus" sale that no museum or university could afford such prices. 1 Centre · 2Jenkins sees two sides: she said she does not begrudge those involved for selling given the time, effort and money spent on excavation, and expects such specimens will end up in a museum at some point. Anadolu says the sale raises concerns that significant fossils in private collections may limit access for researchers and public exhibitions. 1 2