Business · Fossil auctionNew York fossil auction: Jodi sells for $47.3 million to anonymous buyerAired October 27, 2026 at 10:40 PM UTCWritten October 27, 2026 at 10:43 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07An anonymous buyer paid forty seven point three dollars million for a dinosaur0:11skeleton.0:11The fossil, nicknamed Jody, has become the second most expensive dinosaur ever sold0:16at auction.0:17Its scientific value reaches beyond the sale room, but who gets to study it next is0:21still unresolved.0:22Salvadis estimated Jodi at six million to nine million dollars.0:25The winning bid reached forty point five million dollars before fees.0:29With fees, the buyer's total came to forty seven point three million.0:33Even before those fees, the price was four and a half times the high estimate.0:36The New York sale on October twenty-seventh, two thousand twenty-six took roughly0:40twelve minutes.0:41The winner outbid five other prospective buyers participating online and by0:44telephone.0:45Only Gus, AT, Rex sold for fifty point one million dollars that summer has fetched0:50more at a dinosaur auction.0:51Jody's bones came from the Hell Creek Formation near Jordan, Montana, in Garfield0:55County.0:56They date to about sixty-seven million years ago.0:59Late in the Cretaceous period, rancher Jody Pearson discovered them on her private1:02land in two thousand and nineteen, and the skeleton carries her name.1:05The team recovered Jodi over one field season.1:08Clayton Phipps, Luke Phipps, Katy Bush, Nathan Cooper, and Chris Morrow worked1:12alongside Jody and Kelly Pearson.1:14Their excavation featured in the first six episodes of Dino Hunters in two thousand1:18and twenty.1:19Before the auction, Jody had been displayed at Sotheby's Upper Manhattan1:22headquarters since earlier in October.1:24Jody contains approximately one hundred and ninety one fossil bone elements from one1:28animal.1:28The virtually complete skull alone contains fifty-three bones and roughly fifty1:32teeth at different stages of emerging.1:33One rooted tooth is fused to the outside of the right upper jaw.1:37The neck preserves six vertebrae: the back eleven, the pelvis five, and the tail1:41fifteen.1:42There are fifteen neck ribs, twenty five back ribs, and ten bones beneath the tail1:46called chevrons.1:47About half the rarely preserved belly ribs also survive.1:50So the bees excludes those belly ribs from its fossil bone count.1:54Jody stands approximately nine feet six inches high on its supporting frame.1:57So the bees corrected an earlier six foot five inch measurement.2:01That corrected height describes the mount.2:03The skeleton stretches nineteen point six feet from nose to tail, and missing2:06sections use three D.2:08Printed and sculpted restorations.2:09Jody is described as almost seventy percent complete, though T here is no stated2:15method behind that estimate.2:16The original material includes a complete pelvis and wishbone, plus fifteen of the2:20twenty hand bones, with all four hand claws.2:22The right foot preserves thirteen bones, including three of its four claws.2:26The thigh bone measures about thirty three and a half inches, and the upper arm bone2:30about fourteen and a half.2:31Sovibese classifies Jody as an adult based on size and bone development.2:35Its sepia coloring comes from mineralization characteristic of Hell Creek fossils.2:40The arm and shoulder material also includes a separate shoulder blade and forearm2:43bone.2:43The consigna acquired these bones in two thousand and twenty-one.2:46At Freeze Masters in London in two thousand and twenty-three, dealer David Aron2:50offered them as Chomper, a juvenile tea, Rex for twenty million dollars.2:54They didn't sell, so Thives now calls that earlier identification a2:58misidentification.2:59Research published in October two thousand and twenty.3:02Five concluded that Nanotyranus was a distinct genus living alongside T, Rex.3:07It was about half an adult T, Rex's length, with relatively longer forelimbs, larger3:12hand claws, and slender, blade-like teeth.3:14Jodi's scientific name includes C.3:16F.3:17Lanchensis, marking a qualified comparison at the species level.3:21Sotheby's markets Jodi as one of only three known nanotyranus skeletons.3:25That rarity claim comes from the auction house.3:28The new sale total exceeds twice the earlier asking price, but the bidding doesn't3:32tell us how much the changed identification contributed.3:35Sotheby's Science and Natural History Head, Cassandra Hatton, praised the excavation3:39team's work preserving Jodi and its contribution to science.3:42Recovering and preparing fossils takes investment, and auction houses argue that3:46private money helps pay for excavation, preservation, and study.3:49Some paleontologists oppose private sales of significant fossils because museums3:53provide stable stewardship, research access, and public display.3:57The buyer's anonymity doesn't tell us which path Jodi will take.4:00Nobody has announced where the skeleton will go or promised access for researchers4:04or the public.4:04Sotheby's offered Jodi with full rights and documents certifying its condition,4:08authenticity, and legal ownership.4:10The skeleton will move off site after the sale.4:12The purchaser must cover collection, shipping, and release fees, whose amounts4:16haven't been specified.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗
