The Discovery
A rare dinosaur fossil named Jodi recently captured world attention after selling for $47.3 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York. The fossil was uncovered in 2019 by Montana rancher Jodi Pierson on her property in the Hell Creek Formation, a fossil-rich region extending across Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. It was later excavated by commercial palaeontologist Clayton Phipps, known as the "Dinosaur Cowboy."
What Scientists Found
For decades, palaeontologists debated whether Nanotyrannus was a distinct dinosaur or merely a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex. Researchers now classify Nanotyrannus as its own unique genus. Although both dinosaurs inhabited the Earth around 67 million years ago, Nanotyrannus was smaller with a distinct build.
The skeleton measures 19.6 feet in length and 9.6 feet in height, containing 191 original bone elements and a virtually complete skull. Custom 3D-printed and sculpted parts were created to replace missing bones. Only three relatively complete Nanotyrannus skeletons are known to science, highlighting the specimen's incredible rarity.
Why It Matters
Originally displayed as a juvenile T. rex at London's Frieze Masters art fair in October 2023, Jodi is the first Nanotyrannus skeleton offered on the commercial market since its reclassification. During the auction, six bidders competed over 12 minutes, driving the price well beyond the initial $6 million to $9 million estimate.
This transaction makes Jodi the second-most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold, ranking just behind a $50.1 million T. rex named Gus and ahead of a $44.6 million Stegosaurus named Apex. The identity of the buyer is not specified in the source; please check the official notice. The sale included full rights for creating and selling replicas, while re-igniting debate over whether scientifically critical fossils should belong to private buyers or remain in public research collections.
Source: dinosaur fossil discovery - BingNews · Published October 29, 2026 · Photo by Nirjhar Bala on Unsplash
