Palaeontology

Iconic Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton sells at auction for record amount

By T.K. Randall
July 15, 2026

Image: Tyrannosaurus Rex Holotype (illustrative)
Credit: ScottRobertAnselmo / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) Tyrannosaurus rex - arguably the poster child of the dinosaur world - certainly needs no introduction.

Sporting rows of razor sharp teeth, this enormous land-dwelling carnivore was one of the most fearsome predators ever to walk the face of the Earth.

One of the most impressive and complete skeletons ever found - named "Gus" - was unearthed on a ranch in South Dakota back in 2021, sparking an excavation lasting several years.

It took experts three further years to piece it back together.This week, Gus became the most expensive dinosaur skeleton to ever be sold when it went up for auction at Sotherby's in New York.

In the end, it sold for a whopping $50.1 million.

The previous record for most expensive dinosaur sold at auction was a Stegosaurus named Apex which went for around $45 million back in 2024.

Whether it is right for dinosaur skeletons to be sold at all, however, remains a topic of heated debate.

Source: BBC News

Tags: Tyrannosaurus, Dinosaur