After the record-breaking sale of “Gus,” Sotheby’s is putting another rare fossil up for auction. This one is named Jodi. Scientists know of only three Nanotyrannus skeletons on Earth.
Jodi measures roughly 6.5 feet tall and 19.6 feet long from nose to tail, bigger than most people ever expect. Her bones come from a single individual and include about 191 fossil elements. Her skull is almost fully intact with 53 bones and close to 50 teeth in various stages of eruption. Scientists once argued over whether these small tyrannosaurs were juvenile T. rexes or a separate species. A study in Nature by Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli ended the debate and classified Jodi as Nanotyrannus cf. lancensis. Taller than the average human and nearly 20 feet long, she is a rare sight.
Unearthed in Montana’s Legendary Hell Creek
The dinosaur is named after rancher Jodi Pierson, who found her in 2019 in the Hell Creek Formation in eastern Montana. This formation gave the world its first T. rex and it remains one of the richest fossil sites on the planet. Pierson brought in her cousin Clayton Phipps, a commercial paleontologist known as the dinosaur cowboy, to run the excavation. Discovery Channel’s Dino Hunters filmed the whole thing.
What to Expect When Jodi Goes to Auction at Sotheby’s
Online bidding starts October 13. Jodi then heads to Sotheby’s live sale in New York on October 27, where the estimate sits between $6 million and $9 million. Gus still holds the record. The nearly complete T. rex went for $50.1 million, crushing its $30 million high estimate and beating the $44 million hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin paid for Apex the Stegosaurus in 2024.
Got 20 feet of clearance and a spare $9 million in your living room? Any takers for the ultimate prehistoric conversation starter, or is Jodi a bit too big for your mantlepiece? Bid now on Sotheby’s website.
