Nanotyrannus skeleton sold for a fortune. 12 minutes was enough

On Tuesday, the Sotheby's auction house in New York became the scene of an exciting auction. The skeleton of a nanotyrannus, a smaller cousin of the famous T-rex, fetched as much as $47.3 million. This amount far exceeded the original estimates - Sotheby's expected that "Jodi" would be sold for $6-9 million.

The auction lasted 12 minutes and six bidders bid. The winner remained anonymous.

"Jodi's" skeleton was found in 2019 by Jodi Pierson on her private plot of land in Montana, in the famous Hell Creek Formation. This is one of only three such well-preserved and almost complete Nanotyrannus skeletons known to science and the first to hit the market after confirming its membership in this species.

The dinosaur is almost 6 meters long and consists of 191 fossilized bones.

Cassandra Hatton, vice-chairman of Sotheby's, emphasized the importance of the work of the team that excavated and secured the skeleton. Their passion and experience were fundamental to the "Jodi" story, she said.

Nanotyrannus is a carnivorous dinosaur that lived about 67 million years ago, side by side with the T-rex. For years, it was confused with juvenile tyrannosaurs, but currently scientists distinguish over 150 morphological features that distinguish it from its larger cousin.

“Jodi” is an adult, which makes the find even more valuable.

Although the auction caused a sensation, it was not without criticism from the scientific community. Experts emphasize that such valuable specimens should go to museums, not private collections. Dr. Thomas R. Holtz Jr. from the University of Maryland acknowledged that "potentially scientifically important fossils may be lost to research and society" once they end up in the hands of collectors.

Professor Linda Ivany from Syracuse University has a similar opinion. "These amazing fossils should remain in public spaces so that scientists can study them, children can be amazed and inspired by them, and everyone can admire long-gone worlds and what we can learn from them," she admitted.

For now, it is not known whether the new owner will decide to make the skeleton available to the public or whether "Jodi" will become a private trophy. Scientists and dinosaur lovers hope that this unique specimen will not disappear from view and will continue to serve science and society.