A mystery buyer has shelled out a staggering $US50.1 million ($A71.7 million) for one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever found, smashing the world auction record for dinosaur bones and leaving scientists urging the anonymous new owner to place the specimen in a public museum.
The fossil, affectionately nicknamed "Gus", went under the hammer on Tuesday in a live and online auction that lasted just ten minutes but attracted seven competing bidders. The winning participant joined by phone and has chosen to remain anonymous, according to the auction house that conducted the sale.
A record-shattering sale
The $A71.7 million result easily eclipses the previous record for a dinosaur fossil at auction — a nearly complete stegosaurus skeleton that fetched close to $US45 million ($A64 million) in 2024. Before that, the benchmark had been set by another T-rex, nicknamed "Stan", which sold for nearly $US32 million ($A45 million) in 2020.
Gus had been estimated ahead of the sale to fetch somewhere between $US20 million and $US30 million — a figure the final price more than doubled. Bidders were reportedly encouraged to go harder during the spirited contest, with the auctioneer quipping at one point: "Try a bigger bite — it's a T-rex, after all."
A senior figure at the auction house described the result as a reflection of both the fossil's rarity and the exceptional care taken in its preparation. "Gus is not only an exceptional find, but a specimen that's been excavated, documented, prepared, and cared for with real excellence," said the house's vice chair. "The market responds when great specimens are taken care of in the right way."
Who — and what — is 'Gus'?
Dating back approximately 67 million years, Gus is an adult T-rex standing roughly 3.8 metres tall and stretching 11.5 metres in length, displayed upright with its tail extended and right foot slightly raised. The specimen is around 61% complete, which is considered remarkably high for a fossil of this age.
Among its most prized features is an exceptionally well-preserved skull with a full set of powerful teeth, two largely intact feet, and a number of bones that are rarely recovered from T-rex specimens — including a furcula, or wishbone.
The fossil was unearthed in 2021 on a ranch in South Dakota. It was named "Gus" in honour of the property's owner, Gary Licking, who passed away during the roughly five-year process of excavation, restoration and mounting that followed the discovery.
Scientists call for public access
The sale has drawn concern from the palaeontological community, with a leading scientific society calling on the new owner to donate the fossil to an accredited natural history museum rather than keeping it in private hands.
"Our hope is that the new owner recognises the extraordinary scientific and educational value of Gus the T-rex and that they aim to keep it in the public trust," said the president-elect of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in a statement issued the same day as the auction. "That outcome would ensure that this remarkable specimen continues to advance science, rather than becoming unavailable for study."
There is precedent for privately purchased fossils finding their way into public institutions. The record-breaking stegosaurus sold in 2024 is currently on long-term loan to a major New York natural history museum, while "Stan" — the T-rex that previously held the dinosaur auction record — is on permanent display at a natural history museum in Abu Dhabi, posed dramatically alongside another T-rex fossil over the remains of a triceratops. "Sue", the first dinosaur ever sold at auction back in 1997, remains a centrepiece exhibit at Chicago's Field Museum.
Whether Gus will follow a similar path to public display — or disappear into a private collection — remains to be seen. For now, at $A71.7 million, the ancient predator has secured its place in the record books twice over: once for surviving 67 million years, and again for commanding the highest price ever paid for a dinosaur at auction.
