The Discovery
In 2019, Montana rancher Jodi Pierson uncovered an exceptionally rare fossil on her land. The specimen, nicknamed "Jodi," belongs to Nanotyrannus, a dinosaur that resembles a miniature Tyrannosaurus rex. A team of professional fossil hunters excavated the remains, and their recovery efforts were highlighted in the 2020 Discovery Channel documentary series "Dino Hunters."
Reaching a height of 9 feet 6 inches and stretching almost 20 feet long, the fossil is considered nearly 70% complete. It represents one of only three known Nanotyrannus skeletons in existence.
What Scientists Found
For decades, paleontologists debated whether Nanotyrannus was a unique type of dinosaur or simply a young T. rex. Research published last year officially confirmed that it was a distinct genus and a distant cousin of the T. rex. Both prehistoric creatures lived alongside each other during the Cretaceous period about 67 million years ago.
Physical characteristics that set Nanotyrannus apart include:
- A body length roughly half that of an adult T. rex.
- Proportionally longer forelimbs and larger hand claws.
- Teeth that are more slender and blade-like than those of its larger relative.
Why It Matters
The fossil made headlines during a Tuesday live auction at Sotheby’s upper Manhattan headquarters in New York City. Although expected to fetch between $6 million and $9 million, intense bidding among six phone and online participants drove the final price to $47.3 million in roughly 12 minutes. The buyer chose to remain anonymous.
This sale makes "Jodi" the second most expensive dinosaur skeleton ever auctioned, following the $50.1 million sale of a T. rex fossil named "Gus" at Sotheby's earlier this summer. Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s head of science and natural history, commended the excavation team for helping preserve the specimen and advancing scientific understanding. However, several scientists have raised concerns over private fossil sales, maintaining that major specimens should reside in public museums where researchers and the public can access them.
Source: dinosaur fossil discovery - BingNews · Published October 29, 2026 · Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
