This Ultra-Rare Nanotyrannus Fossil Could Fetch $9 Million at Auction
The 191-bone fossil is one of only three known Nanotyrannus specimens and comes with a $6 million to $9 million estimate, Sotheby’s said.
- Following the record-breaking $50.1 million sale of Gus, Sotheby is auctioning a rare Nanotyrannus fossil named Jodi on October 27 in New York. Standing 6.5 feet tall, the specimen spans 19.6 feet with a near-complete skull.
- Rancher Jodi Pierson discovered the fossil in 2019 on her land in Garfield County, Montana, within the Hell Creek Formation. She enlisted commercial paleontologist Clayton Phipps to excavate it, documented on the Discovery Channel series Dino Hunters.
- Settling an 84-year scientific debate, paleontologists Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli confirmed Nanotyrannus is a valid genus. Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby vice chairman, said, "this debate has been settled—Nanotyrannus is indeed a valid genus."
- Expected to fetch between $6 million and $9 million, the skeleton is one of just three known to exist. Collector Ken Griffin previously paid $45 million for a stegosaurus named Apex, though Jodi likely will not match that sum.
- Dating back 67 million years to the Cretaceous period, the skeleton features 35 teeth and 53 bones. The fossil includes a complete pelvis, wishbone, and femur, along with all four claws.
26 Articles
26 Articles
A formidable killer of the Cretaceous six meters long and two meters tall, a snapping predator armed with imposing claws and an intact skull with 35 sharp teeth, for an estimated auction value of between 6 and 9 million dollars. It is the identity of the "Jodi" , an exceptional fossil skeleton dating back to about 70 million years [...] The article Goes to the auction by Sothebys "Jodi" , the 9 million dollar dinosaur: mistaken for a T-rex puppy…
Berliner Morgenpost
Jodi was once considered a T-Rex, today a nanotyrannus. Now the skeleton is auctioned – and its new name could cost millions.
Kronen Zeitung
nachrichten.atA few months after the record sale of a T-Rex skeleton, another dinosaur is on the auction program in New York. On October 27, Nanotyrannus "Jodi" comes under the hammer.
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