A rare dinosaur fossil recently achieved a record-breaking price at auction, sparking renewed attention from palaeontologists and collectors alike. The miniature skeleton, named Jodi, was sold at Sotheby's in New York for £35 million after a rapid bidding period lasting only 12 minutes. The sale makes it the second most expensive dinosaur skeleton ever publicly sold. The identities of the buyer and seller were kept private, and regarding where the skeleton will be housed next: Not specified in the source; please check the official notice.
The Discovery
The fossil was discovered in 2019 by local rancher Jodi Pierson on her private land in the Hell Creek Formation, located in Garfield County near Jordan, Montana. The process of excavating the specimen was later featured on the Discovery Channel show "Dino Hunters" in 2020.
Following its discovery, scientists were divided over the identity of the remains. Some experts believed the specimen was a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, while others argued it was a unique species. The long-running debate was settled last October when researchers formally identified the skeleton as belonging to a distinct species, Nanotyrannus lancensis.
What Scientists Found
Palaeontologists describe Nanotyrannus as a swift, highly specialized meat-eating tyrannosaurid that roamed during the late Cretaceous period alongside T. rex, though the two predators possessed notable anatomical differences. Key details about the specimen include:
- The fossil is estimated to be 67 million years old and measures 20 feet from nose to tail.
- It features 191 bones, including an almost complete skull and 50 teeth.
- It is only one of three known Nanotyrannus skeletons in existence.
Why It Matters
The sale underscores a dramatic rise in high-end bone collecting, with wealthy individuals purchasing dinosaur skeletons as luxury investments and status symbols. However, this booming market has drawn criticism from scientific experts. Professor Steve Brusatte, an Edinburgh University palaeontologist who consulted on Jurassic World: Dominion, warned that the global fossil market has become increasingly secretive and shadowy, operating on a level similar to illicit trades.
Source: dinosaur fossil discovery - BingNews · Published October 28, 2026 · Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash
