Sotheby's big T. rex auction raises concerns hype and wealth are upending science

• 01Sotheby’s opened live bidding on July 14 for a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named Gus, estimated to fetch up to $30 million.
• 02Gus was discovered on a ranch in South Dakota and comprises 183 fossil bone elements, making it approximately 61% complete by bone count.
• 03The skeleton has been mounted in a custom steel armature with replicas of missing bones and posed in a hunting position.
• 04Thomas Holtz, a tyrannosaur specialist at the University of Maryland, described Gus as scientifically significant due to its completeness and high bone quality.
• 05Cassandra Hatton, vice chairman at Sotheby’s, stated that court cases surrounding the 1997 sale of the T. rex named Sue clarified that in the US, landowners own fossils found on their property.
• 06Sotheby’s sold a Stegosaurus named Apex to hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin for $44.6 million in 2024.
• 07Last year, Sotheby’s sold the only known juvenile Ceratosaurus to an anonymous buyer for $30.5 million.
• 08A 2025 study found that there are more T. rex fossils in private collections than in public trusts.
• 09Paleontologists argue that commercial excavations often fail to document geological context and that mounting bones for display prevents noninvasive study techniques like computed tomographic imaging.
• 10Sotheby’s description of Gus identifies holes in the jaw as tyrannosaurid bite marks, a claim disputed by paleontologist Stuart Sumida, who notes the holes are perfectly round and smooth-edged, unlike irregular puncture marks.

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Sotheby’s is auctioning a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named Gus, which experts estimate could sell for up to $30 million. While auction houses argue that sales preserve fossils from erosion and fund excavation, paleontologists contend that private ownership undermines scientific research by obscuring geological context and limiting study access. Recent high-profile sales, including a Stegosaurus and a juvenile Ceratosaurus, have drawn criticism as private collections increasingly outnumber public ones.