Fossils are like timeless gems that give us a glimpse into the past, about what the prehistoric organisms ate, how they lived, reproduced, and more.While we patiently wait for a museum visit to have a look at when, we think about how these treasures were actually found; the first thought that lingers in our minds is, excavation.But sometimes fossils are discovered even in the most unexpected of ways, like just walking past your own ranch.Sounds unbelievable, right?But this fantasy story came to life when a rancher came across one on her own property, and surprisingly, it came to be named after her!Let’s dig in to find out what exactly happened.
Montana rancher’s discovery becomes the second-priciest dinosaur ever sold at auction
In 2019, Montana rancher Jodi Pierson came across fossil remains on her own land, in an area known as the Hell Creek Formation. That is where the story of this dinosaur begins.Now, on 27 October 2026, the skeleton that now carries her name sold for $47.3 million at Sotheby’s in New York, according to TheJournal.ie. It became the second most valuable dinosaur ever sold at auction.
Found on a Montana ranch
According to the Sotheby’s listing, Pierson found the skeleton in the Hell Creek Formation in Garfield County, Montana. Hell Creek preserves life from the final stretch of the Cretaceous, shortly before the asteroid impact about 66 million years ago. Professional fossil hunters excavated Jodi, and the dig appeared in the Discovery Channel series Dino Hunters in 2020, per the New York Times.
Meet Jodi, the 67-million-year-old predator that lived along with T.Rex
Jodi is a Nanotyrannus, a smaller predator that lived beside T. rex about 67 million years ago. Its mounted skeleton is about 19.6 feet long and 9 feet 6 inches tall, and Sotheby’s calls it 70% complete. So far, only three substantial Nanotyrannus skeletons are known, which is why Jodi is so rare.Sotheby’s had expected $6 million to $9 million. Instead, six bidders competed for more than 12 minutes. According to an NBC Chicago report, the offers came both online and by phone, and the winner remains anonymous, and only Gus, a T. rex that sold for $50.1 million in July, has fetched more.
Earlier, it was believed to be a younger T.Rex
For decades, scientists argued over whether Nanotyrannus was its own animal or a young T. rex. In October 2025, Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli reported in Nature that a tyrannosaur from the Dueling Dinosaurs specimen was already a full adult, about 20 years old, according to Fossil Guy. Napoli told WBTV that calling it a juvenile T. rex was “not just unlikely – it’s impossible.” Nanotyrannus had longer forelimbs, larger hand claws and slimmer teeth than its famous cousin. Sotheby’s says Jodi was the first of its kind offered at auction since that research.