Meet Nanotyrannus Jodi: Auction - Rare dinosaur once mistaken for juvenile T. rex fetches $47.3 million

A rare dinosaur skeleton named Jodi has sold for $47.3 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, making it the second most expensive dinosaur fossil of all time. The specimen belongs to Nanotyrannus, a small tyrannosaur that was once thought to be a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex).

According to a CNN report, the skeleton attracted six bidders during a 12-minute contest, pushing its final price far beyond the expected range. Sotheby’s estimated it could sell for $6 million to $9 million.

The sale came after scientists identified Nanotyrannus as a distinct genus of dinosaur, rather than a younger form of T. rex. The classification has been debated among paleontologists for decades.

What is Nanotyrannus Jodi?

Jodi is a rare, relatively complete Nanotyrant skeleton, measuring 19.6 feet in length and 9.6 feet in height. Sotheby’s described it as an exceptionally well-preserved specimen containing 191 fossil bone elements, including a virtually complete skull.

The Auction House stated that only three relatively complete Nanotyrant skeletons are known to science. According to a BBC report, Jodi is the first such specimen to hit the market since researchers confirmed the genus is distinct from T. rex.

Although smaller than T. rex, Nanotyrannus was not necessarily a younger version of a larger dinosaur. Paleontologists increasingly supported the view that it was a separate species, with differences in size and build.

The two dinosaurs lived in the same geological period, about 67 million years ago.

How was Jodi discovered?

The skeleton was discovered in 2019 by Montana rancher Jodi Pierson on her property in the Hell Creek Formation in the United States. The specimen was named after her and was subsequently excavated by commercial paleontologist Clayton Phipps, known as the “Dinosaur Cowboy,” according to CNN.

Stretching across Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas, Hell Creek is a significant geological area rich in fossils. This yielded several important dinosaur discoveries, including the remains of T. rex.

Jodi was originally exhibited as a juvenile T. rex at London’s Frieze Masters art fair in October 2023 before the Nanotyrannus classification changed the way the specimen was understood, the BBC reported.

Why did the dinosaur sell for $47.3 million?

Jodi’s rarity and relatively complete condition may have contributed to the high sale price. Its final value far exceeded Sotheby’s estimate of $6 million to $9 million.

The sale narrowly missed the record for a dinosaur fossil, which was set in July when a T. rex skeleton named Gus sold for $50.1 million. A stegosaurus named Apex, which sold for $44.6 million in July 2024, ranks third among the most expensive dinosaur fossils sold at auction.

Jodi’s new owner has not been identified. CNN reported that the specimen was sold with “full rights,” allowing its owner to make and sell replicas without incorporating copyrighted elements from other dinosaurs. The missing bones were replaced with custom 3D printed and sculpted elements.

The auction also renewed the debate over whether scientifically important fossils should be sold to private collectors or preserved in public institutions where researchers can study them.