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Tyrannosaurus Rex

All articles tagged with #tyrannosaurus rex

science-and-environment22 hours ago•2 min saved

Gus the T. rex Breaks Fossil Auction Record with $50 Million Sale

A 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex named Gus sold for £37.4m ($50.1m) at Sotheby’s in New York—the most ever paid for a dinosaur. The nearly 60% complete fossil was discovered in 2021 on a South Dakota ranch and required three summers of digging plus three years in the lab to reassemble, with bite marks and healed ribs indicating a life on the hunt. The buyer remains undisclosed; the sale surpasses the previous record and signals growing ultra-wealthy interest in fossil collecting, with Gus potentially heading to a museum in the future.

via BBC|

#auction #fossil #record-price

science23 hours ago•8 min saved

Tiny T. rex Hatchlings Rewrite Dinosaur Parenting Playbook

New fossil analysis shows T. rex hatchlings were cat-sized (about 75 cm long and roughly 1.7–2.5 kg), hatched from large clutches of 20–30 eggs, and bore features similar to adults. This suggests tyrannosaurs had a high-offspring, lower-parental-investment strategy (an r-strategy) rather than the long-held view of extensive parental care, signaling a transitional pattern between reptiles and birds.

via ScienceAlert|

#hatchlings #paleontology #r-strategist

science1 day ago•194 min saved

Record-Breaking T. rex Fetches $50.13M at Sotheby’s

A 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed Gus sold for a world-record $50.13 million at Sotheby’s in New York, making Gus one of the most complete T. rex fossils and underscoring the ongoing debate over private ownership versus scientific study.

via CNN|

#fossil-auction #gus #record-sale

science1 day ago•204 min saved

Gus the T. rex poised to set fossil auction record at Sotheby’s

A privately unearthed 38-foot Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed Gus from South Dakota’s Hell Creek Formation is heading to Sotheby’s in New York for auction, with estimates around $30 million and a potential to become the world’s most expensive fossil. Gus is about 61% complete by bone count (roughly 75–80% by mass) and shows bite marks and fractures. The sale reignites a debate over fossil ownership and science, since many researchers argue fossils should be in public collections to allow study and verification, while opponents say private owners can still enable research or loans. Excavated by Theropoda Expeditions from 2021–2023 on Gary Licking’s land after his death, Gus may disappear from public view if sold to private parties, unlike publicly loaned specimens in museums.

via CNN|

#fossil-auction #paleontology #private-ownership

science1 day ago•5 min saved

Gus the T. rex heads to auction, fueling debate over fossil ownership and science access

One of the most complete T. rex skeletons, nicknamed Gus, goes to Sotheby’s in New York with a $20–30 million estimate, spotlighting a growing tension between selling fossils as high‑value collectibles and preserving them for research; scientists caution that private sales can cut access for study, while others point to museum loans and donations as potential paths to public science, with calls for fossils to eventually reside in public trusts or museums rather than in private hands.

via The Guardian|

#auction #fossils #museums

science2 days ago•204 min saved

Gus the T. rex Heads to Sotheby’s Auction, Sparking Science-Access Debate

A newly unearthed, 38-foot-long T. rex skeleton nicknamed Gus from the Hell Creek Formation is set to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York, potentially becoming the most expensive fossil sale; while it’s among the largest and most complete finds, experts warn that private ownership risks removing critical specimens from public, verifiable scientific study and museum access, fueling a broader debate about fossil stewardship and open science.

via CNN|

#fossil-auction #hell-creek-formation #private-ownership

science-and-environment3 days ago•8 min saved

Gus the T. rex Could Break Dinosaur Auction Record, Sparking Fossil Ownership Debate

Gus, one of the most complete T. rex fossils ever found in South Dakota, goes to Sotheby’s with a $30 million pre-sale value and a $19 million starting bid, potentially becoming the most expensive dinosaur ever sold. The auction reignites a debate over whether scientifically important fossils should stay in museums or be privately owned, since private specimens are harder for researchers to access and many journals won’t publish work on them. Excavation and recovery spanned years, and while collectors help fund finds, scientists stress public accessibility and rigorous study as essential for understanding dinosaur biology and our past.

via BBC|

#fossil-auction #palaeontology #private-collectors

science9 days ago•17 min saved

Gus the T. Rex Heads to Sotheby’s Auction with a $19 Million Opening Bid

Gus, a 63%-complete 38-foot Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton unearthed on a South Dakota ranch, goes to Sotheby’s in New York for auction on July 14 with a $19 million starting bid and an estimated value of $20–$30 million, potentially the highest private dinosaur- fossil price yet. Reconstructed from 183 bones after years of work by Theropoda Expeditions, the fossil’s sale sparks debate over private ownership of priceless relics, even as Sotheby’s says these auctions can help fund paleontology and recover fossils that might otherwise be lost.

via Gizmodo|

#auction #capitalism #dinosaurs

science22 days ago•5 min saved

T. rex grew for four decades before reaching full size, study finds

A new study of 17 tyrannosaur fossils using enhanced bone imaging and advanced statistics reconstructs Tyrannosaurus rex's growth, showing it continued maturing for about 40 years to reach roughly eight tons—longer than previously believed. The work also highlights potential misclassifications within the T. rex species complex (including Nanotyrannus) and introduces a composite growth curve that improves life-history understanding for dinosaurs.

via ScienceDaily|

#growth-curve #growth-rings #nanotyrannus

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Tiny Arms, Mighty Jaws: Why T. rex Shrunk Its Forelimbs

A new analysis of 82 theropod species links forelimb shrinkage to the rise of giant sauropods, suggesting evolutionary pressure favored larger jaws for prey while arms became vestigial. In tyrannosaurids, all forelimb elements reduced at similar rates, implying skull strength preceded arm loss and that grasping was no longer essential for predation. The study shows correlation rather than causation, but supports the shift from using arms to rely on jaws for hunting.

via Daily Kos|

#anatomy #evolution #paleontology

business1 month ago•4 min saved

Gus the T. rex goes under the hammer with a $20–30 million estimate at Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s will auction a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed Gus for a pre-auction estimate of $20–$30 million, the highest ever for a dinosaur fossil. Discovered in 2021 on a South Dakota cattle ranch by Theropoda Expeditions, the nearly complete skeleton goes on sale July 14, highlighting Sotheby’s ongoing bet on fossil sales as a luxury market. Past high-profile dinosaur auctions include Griffin’s Stegosaurus Apex (sold for $44.6 million) and other T. rexes such as Sue and Stan; bidders are typically private collectors who often loan acquisitions to museums.

via Financial Times|

#auctions #business #collecting

science1 month ago•185 min saved

Giant skulls drove T. rex to shrink its arms, new study suggests

A new study analyzing 85 dinosaur species finds Tyrannosaurus rex’s three-foot forearms shrank as the skull grew larger and stronger to tackle big prey, indicating an evolutionary trade-off where energy is diverted to head strength at the expense of the arms; the pattern appears across several giant carnivorous dinosaurs.

via CNN|

#dinosaur-evolution #paleontology #science

science1 month ago•9 min saved

Big Skull, Tiny Arms: Why Rex and Other Giants Dropped Their Forelimbs

A new study of 82 theropods, including T. rex, finds reduced forelimbs evolved independently in five groups as heavily built skulls and strong bites became the primary hunting tool; skull robustness appears to drive forelimb shrinkage, with giant prey pushing predators toward jaw-based attacks and different lineages shortening arms via separate evolutionary paths (not merely due to overall body size).

via SciTechDaily|

#evolution #forelimbs #science

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Tiny Arms, Mighty Jaws: A New Take on Why T. rex Shrunk Its Forelimbs

New research analyzing 82 theropod species links Tyrannosaurus rex’s famously tiny arms to a shift toward stronger skulls and bites. As jaws became more powerful, forelimbs became less useful, a pattern seen in several carnivorous lineages and driven more by skull robustness than overall body size.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#evolution #forelimbs #science

science2 months ago•12 min saved

Tiny Arms, Big Mystery: Why T. rex Arms Were Proportionally Short

T. rex arms were about 1 meter long, roughly 30% of the leg length, prompting several hypotheses about their function—from display and prey handling to balance as skulls grew larger—with no consensus. Some scientists view the arms as vestigial or a byproduct of skull enlargement; others suggest a defensive or ecological role in crowded feeding scenarios. Ongoing fossil research may yet reveal why this tiny-arm trend occurred repeatedly in theropods.

via The Conversation|

#arm-length #paleontology #science