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Rare fossil of T. rex cousin goes on display in New York before heading to auction
Sotheby’s says the nearly complete skull and jaw are among only three known Nanotyrannus skeletons and are central to a long-running T. rex debate.
- On Tuesday, Sotheby unveiled the rare Nanotyrannus fossil nicknamed 'Jodi' at its Manhattan headquarters, where it remains on public view ahead of its October 27 auction.
- Research recently confirmed Nanotyrannus as a distinct genus coexisting with Tyrannosaurus rex some 67 million years ago, featuring slender, bladelike teeth and longer forelimbs unlike the 'King of the Tyrant Lizards.'
- Montana rancher Jodi Pierson discovered the fossil in 2019, an excavation featured on the Discovery Channel series 'Dino Hunters,' and Sotheby bills it as the 'finest and most complete' Nanotyrannus available, nearly 70% complete with roughly 35 teeth.
- The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology opposes private fossil sales, with president Stuart Sumida arguing that no peer-reviewed scientific study can be published on specimens held in private hands.
- Sotheby vice chair Cassandra Hatton defended private diggers as 'crucial in the preservation of science' due to university funding shortages, while critics warn that private sales prevent future access for researchers and the public.
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Rare fossil of T. rex cousin goes on display in NYC before heading to auction
Jodi, a mounted Nanotyrannus skeleton, of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 67 million years ago, estimated at $6 – 9 million, is displayed at Sotheby’s, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in New York.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources10
Leaning Left3Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution45% Center
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources are Center
45% Center
L 33%
C 45%
R 22%
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