Juvenile dinosaur fossil fetches $30.5M
A rare juvenile Ceratosaurus fossil sold for $30.5 million at Sotheby’s in New York, more than seven times its low estimate, making it the third most expensive dinosaur ever auctioned.
Six bidders competed over six minutes—by phone, online and in person—before the specimen was sold to a phone bidder represented by Dr. Matthew Hoffarth, Head of Sale for Natural History at Sotheby’s, according to their press release.
The Ceratosaurus now joins the ranks of other high-profile dinosaur sales at Sotheby’s, including "Apex," which fetched $44.6 million in 2024, a Gorgosaurus that sold for $6.1 million in 2022, and "Sue" the T. rex, which brought in $8.4 million in 1997.
According to Sotheby’s, the new owner plans to loan the specimen to an institution, citing its scientific and cultural significance.
"This is one of only four known Ceratosaurus in the world. And of those four, this is the only juvenile," said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s vice-chairman and global head of science and natural history, noting that juvenile fossils rarely survive the rigors of deep time.
Hatton added that the specimen’s skull offers exceptional research value: "It’s incredibly rare to find a complete skull."
The specimen was unearthed in 1996 at the Bone Cabin Quarry in Wyoming and had previously been exhibited in unmounted form at the Museum of Ancient Life in Utah. It is the second most complete Ceratosaurus ever discovered, after the original holotype at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
The extinction of the dinosaurs had long puzzled scientists, with various hypotheses offered, from the plausible to the ridiculous. Some even proposed that the shrew-sized mammals of the time ate up the dinosaur eggs.
Hatton said the juvenile Ceratosaurus is estimated to sell from $4 million to $6 million, but she added that the market will determine its value.
