Nanotyrannus fossil sold for $47.3m in New York
Nanotyrannus skeleton sells for $47.3m in New York auction
Wednesday, 28 October 2026
Photo by Dilip Poddar on Unsplash
Warm-up
- Have you ever visited a natural history museum? What stood out?
- Why do people collect rare objects like art or fossils?
- What is the most you would pay for something you love? Why?
Vocabulary
- auction
- A public sale where people compete by offering higher prices.
- skeleton
- All the bones of an animal or person, shown together in their shape.
- genus
- A scientific group that includes closely related species.
- fossil
- Preserved remains or traces of ancient life in rock.
- disclose
- To make information known to the public.
- excavate
- To dig something out of the ground carefully.
- bidder
- A person who offers money to buy something at an auction.
- palaeontologist
- A scientist who studies fossils and ancient life.
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishA mounted Nanotyrannus skeleton, nicknamed Jodi, sold for $47.3m at a Sotheby's auction in New York. About 10 feet (3m) tall, it is now the second-most valuable dinosaur fossil, after a T. rex called Gus at $50.1m. A Stegosaurus named Apex sold for $44.6m in 2024. The buyer was not disclosed after 12 minutes of offers from six bidders.
Sotheby's called the specimen exhibition-ready and one of only three Nanotyrannus skeletons known to science. It had been expected to fetch at least $9m. US researchers confirmed last October that Nanotyrannus is a distinct genus, ending decades of debate. Work by Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli used the "Dueling Dinosaurs" fossil to separate it from T. rex.
Jodi was found in Montana's Hell Creek Formation by rancher Jodi Pierson and later excavated by commercial palaeontologist Clayton Phipps. It was shown as a juvenile T. rex at London's Frieze Masters in 2023, before the genus was confirmed.
The sale reignited a wider argument. Prof Steve Brusatte warned that private sales could hide key fossils from research and public view. Megan Jacobs said sellers invest time and money, and added that many such specimens will end up in museums.
Comprehension
- How much did Jodi sell for, and where was it sold?
- What place does Jodi hold among the most valuable dinosaur fossils?
- Who found Jodi, and who excavated it?
- What helped scientists confirm Nanotyrannus as a distinct genus?
- What are two views on selling fossils at auction?
Grammar focus
Will vs going to (prediction)
Use will + base verb for general predictions or decisions made now. Use be going to + base for predictions based on present evidence or a plan already in place. Include the evidence in the sentence. (Example 2 constructed.)
- Many such specimens will end up in museums.
- With six bidders competing, the price is going to rise.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence with will or be going to, as the context requires.
- Many collectors (pay) ___ record sums next year.
- Bids are rising fast; the price (climb) ___ again.
- Private sales (remain) ___ controversial, critics say.
- Look at the crowd; phones (record) ___ the auction.
- The crate is open; staff (move) ___ the fossil soon.
Discussion
- Should rare fossils stay in public museums, or are private sales acceptable?
- How could museums compete with ultra-rich buyers without auctions?
- What rules should apply if a private owner buys a key fossil?
- Do you think sales like Jodi's will become more common? Why?
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