NEW YORK — A dinosaur fossil unearthed in Montana has fetched $47.3 million at auction, making it the second most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold.
The rare Nanotyrannus skeleton, nicknamed “Jodi,” sold Tuesday at Sotheby’s following a 12-minute bidding war involving six collectors.
Montana rancher Jodi Pierson discovered the fossil in 2019, about eight miles from the site where the famous “Dueling Dinosaurs” fossils were uncovered.
Paleontologist Clayton Phipps, known as the “Dinosaur Cowboy,” helped excavate the skeleton alongside family members and other fossil hunters.
The specimen features a nearly complete skull and is one of only three substantial Nanotyrannus skeletons known to science. The classification of the small tyrannosaur has been debated by scientists for decades.
The fossil’s discovery and excavation were featured on the Discovery Channel series Dino Hunters in 2020.
Tuesday’s sale ranks behind only “Gus,” a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil that sold for $50.1 million at Sotheby’s in July, setting the world auction record for a dinosaur fossil.
Photo: Matthew Sherman, via Sotheby’s press release.
Montana's outdoor week, in your inbox at 7am Friday.