'거스(Gus)' 6천7백만년 전 백악기 T.렉스 중 가장 완전한 화석

'수(Sue)', '에이펙스(Apex), '스탠(Stan)' 잇는 경매 신기록 예상 

 

Photo Credit: Matthew Sherman 

 

오는 7월 14일 공룡화석 티라노사우루스 렉스 표본 중 가장 완벽한 표본인 '거스(Gus)'가 뉴욕 소더비 경매에 나온다. 예상가는 2천만 달러에서 3천만 달러로 역대 최고가를 기록할 것으로 예상된다.

 

티라노사우루스 렉스는 6천7백만년 전인 백악기 후기 마스트리히트세에 살았다. 이 시기는 따뜻한 기후, 높은 해수면, 그리고 풍부한 해안 범람원으로 현재의 북미 서부지역에 걸쳐 놀라운 생물 다양성을 가능하게 했다. 강 유역에서부터 숲에 이르기까지 트리케라톱스와 에드몬토사우루스 같은 대형 초식공룡이 번성할 수 있는 생태적 조건을 조성했고, 이는 다시 티라노사우루스 렉스와 같은 최상위 포식자를 유지시켜 주었다.

 

오늘날 티라노사우루스 렉스는 세계에서 가장 잘 알려진 공룡으로, 스티븐 스필버그 감독의 블록버스터 영화 '쥬라기 공원(Jurassic Park)'에서 원래 백악기 공룡인 T-렉스는처음엔 무시무시한 괴수로 등장해 인간들을 공포에 떨게 하지만, 후반부에선 의도치않게 주인공들을 구해내는 공룡이기도 하다. 비 오는 날 밤, 고압 전류가 흐르는 펜스를 부수고 탈출해 투어 차량을 습격하는 씬은 영화 역사상 최고의 명장면 중 하나로 꼽힌다. 거대한 두개골, 깊숙이 박힌 긴 이빨, 그리고 매우 강력한 물기 능력은 물론, 뛰어난 후각과 전방 시야까지 갖춘 것이 특징이다. 육중한 뒷다리와 근육질의 꼬리는 순간적인 속도와 힘을 발휘하도록 진화한 포식자임을 암시한다. 

 

'거스' 화석은 2021년 사우스다코타주 하딩카운티에서 목축업을 하던 고(故) 게리 “거스” 리킹(Gary “Gus” Licking) 소유의 부지에서 토마스 하이트캠프(Thomas Heitkamp)와 그의 팀에 의해 발견되었다. 리킹은 수년간 목장 곳곳에서 공룡의 이빨이나 작은 뼈 조각들을 발견해 오던 끝에, 바로 땅 표면 아래에 과학적 가치가 높은 무언가가 묻혀 있을 가능성이 크다는 사실을 깨닫게 되었다. 이에 리킹은 헤이트캠프와 그의 팀과 파트너십을 맺었고, 그들은 6천5백 에이커의 목장에서 화석 발굴 작업을 시작했다.

 

무려 183개의 화석 뼈 조각을 보유한 '거스'는 뼈 개수로 따지면 약 63%가 완전한 상태로, 전체 뼈 질량의 75~80%를 차지해 지금까지 발견된 티라노사우루스 렉스 중 가장 완전한 화석 중 하나로 손꼽힌다. 안타깝게도 게리는 발굴을 시작한 지 1년 만에 세상을 떠나 화석이 세상에 드러나는 것을 보지 못했다. "거스"는 그의 이름을 따서 명명되었다.

 

T-렉스가 처음 발견된 것은 1902년 고생물학자 바넘 브라운(일명 "Mr. Bones")이 몬태나주 남동부의 헬크릭 층(Hell Creek Formation)을 발굴하던 중 이루어졌다. 그 후 122년이 흐르는 동안 발견된 티라노사우루스 표본은 약 32개에 불과하며, 그중 상당수는 단 하나의 뼈 조각으로만 남아 있다. 전체 골격의 60% 이상이 온전하게 보존된 것으로 확인된 표본은 단 두 개뿐이다. 시카고 필드뮤지엄의 "Sue"(FMNH PR 2081)와 아부다비 자연사박물관의 "Stan"(BHI 3033)이 바로 그 주인공들이다.

 

 

*APEX, 150-million-old Stegosaurus at Sotheby’s New York by NYCultureBeat

 

이제까지 T-렉스 경매 최고가는 2024년 소더비에서 4천460만 달러에 팔린 스테고사우루스 '에이펙스(Apex)'다. 2위는 2020년 크리스티에서 3천180만 달러에 팔린 티라노사우루스 렉스 '스탠 (Stan)', 그리고 3위는 2025년 소더비에서 3천50만 달러에 팔린 케라토사우루스 유체 (Juvenile Ceratosaurus)가 갖고 있다. 공룡 경매의 시초는 1997년 소더비에서 836만 달러에 낙찰되어 현재 시카고 필드뮤지엄에 소장된 '수(Sue)'다. '에이펙스'는 현재 뉴욕 자연사박물관에 장기 대여되어 전시 중이며, 스탠은 아부다비에 개관한 자연사박물관에 영구 소장되어 있다. 

 

 

"SUE" the T. rex at The Field Museum, Chicago. Photo: Sukie Park/ NYCultureBeat

 

소더비는 경매에 앞선 7월 1일부터 14일까지 매디슨애브뉴 브로이어(Breuer, 구 휘트니뮤지엄 건물)의 소더비 갤러리(945 Madison Ave.)에서 전시될 예정이다. 무료 입장.  

이번 전시는 우주 탐사 및 과학 기술사 관련 품목을 포함, 소더비의 "Geek Week" 경매를 장식할 주요 하이라이트 작품들과 함께 진행된다. 

 

#Geek Week 경매 일정:

-자연사(Natural History): 7월 14일 화요일, 오전 10시

-우주 탐사(Space Exploration): 7월 15일 수요일, 오전 10시

-과학 기술사(History of Science & Technology): 7월 15일 수요일, 오후 2시

https://www.sothebys.com

 

 

*시카고 스페셜 (8) 조선관에서 막시모까지: 필드박물관 속 한류 DNA #거대한 공룡 화석 '수(SUE)'

https://www.nyculturebeat.com/?mid=Travel2&document_srl=4179592

 

*소더비, 공룡 화석 '에이펙스(Apex) 사상 최고가 4천460만불에 경매, 2024 

https://www.nyculturebeat.com/?mid=FunNY2&document_srl=4125927

 

 

T. rex "Gus" Most Valuable Dinosaur Offered at Auction To Headline Sotheby's Geek Week | $20 - 30m

 

“Gus is the culmination of years of rigorous excavation and preparation under some of the most challenging field conditions imaginable, and years of exacting study, documentation, and research. Tyrannosaurus rex is the most iconic pre-historic species in the fossil record, and Gus stands firmly among the greatest examples ever found.”

— Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman and Worldwide Head, Science & Natural History 

 

 

Photo Credit: Matthew Sherman  

 

NEW YORK, 27 MAY 2026 – This summer, Sotheby’s will offer “Gus,” one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimens ever discovered, and the best specimen in private hands. Estimated at $20–30 million, the highest estimate ever placed on a dinosaur, this extraordinary fossil, excavated over field seasons in 2021, 2022, and 2023, will be the star highlight of Sotheby’s live Natural History Auction on 14th July.

 

T. rex lived during the Late Cretaceous, in the Maastrichtian age, a time marked by warm climates, high sea levels, and rich coastal floodplains that supported an extraordinary diversity of life across what is now western North America. These environments, from river systems to open woodlands, created the ecological conditions in which large herbivores such as Triceratops and Edmontosaurus flourished, and in turn sustained apex predators like T. rex.

 

Today, T. rex reigns as the world’s most recognized dinosaur – a creature so embedded in popular consciousness, from blockbuster movies to children’s coloring books, that its silhouette is known worldwide. It is distinguished by an immense skull, deep‑rooted long teeth, and an exceptionally powerful bite, alongside a highly developed sense of smell and forward‑facing vision. Its massive hindlimbs and muscular tail suggest a predator built for bursts of speed and force. “Gus” would have sat right at the top of the ecosystem, using its strength, sharp senses, and adaptability to become one of the most powerful predators the world has ever seen. 

 

“Gus” will be offered on 14th July during the Natural History auction, marking the latest chapter in Sotheby's industry-leading Natural History sales. The series began in 1997 with the groundbreaking auction of Sue the T. rex, the first dinosaur ever sold at auction, now a centerpiece of the Field Museum in Chicago. It culminated in 2024 with the historic sale of "Apex," which achieved $45 million and set a world record for any dinosaur or fossil at auction, and in 2025 with the sale of the juvenile Ceratosaurus at $30.5 million, the third highest price ever achieved for a dinosaur at auction. "Apex" is now on long-term loan to the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

 

Ahead of the sale, “Gus” will be installed at Sotheby’s galleries in New York at the Breuer, alongside other highlights from Sotheby’s Geek Week sales including the History of Science & Technology and Space Exploration.  The exhibition, opening on 1st July, is free and open to the public.

 

“This specimen took three years to excavate — with the team sometimes working for weeks straight without finding a thing. The site was a complex fossil bed and preserved many fossils of the flora and fauna that comprised the larger Cretaceous ecosystem.  We documented each stage with quarry maps, inventories, and collection data. In the end, our diligence paid off and we were delighted to discover what turned out to be a huge and incredibly complete T. rex specimen. It really does feel like tackling the world’s hardest puzzle, except we have to find all the pieces first. All those bones separated for 67 million years that we can now, almost magically, fit back together. There’s something deeply satisfying about that.”

— Thomas Heitkamp, President, Theropoda Expeditions (Discoverer and Excavator of “Gus”) 

 

"It has been an amazing opportunity to follow a discovery as significant as “Gus” from start to finish. Seeing the dedication of the team, working hard together to preserve every detail has been both phenomenal and enlightening. Few people know what it takes to bring a specimen of this magnitude to the public. For me the added bonus was knowing that “Gus” was just one of the many pieces of history hidden in the land that Gary and I loved to share. It will be exciting to see how many others will get to enjoy this spectacular discovery."

— Dana Licking, Wife of the Late Gary Licking (Owners of the ranch where “Gus” was discovered)

 

The fossil was discovered by Thomas Heitkamp and his team on land owned by the late Gary “Gus” Licking, a cattle rancher in Harding County, South Dakota. Licking had always had a deep interest and connection to the history of his land, and after years of finding teeth and small bone fragments on the ranch, realized the potential of there being something of true scientific importance just below the surface.

 

Recognizing the need to bring in professionals, Licking struck up a partnership with Heitkamp and his team who began the arduous work of fossil hunting on the ranch. Intuitively connected to his land, Gary pointed out a suggested area for Thomas and team to search on the 6500-acre parcel and turned out to be spot on; “Gus” was found right in the area Gary had pointed out. Sadly, Gary passed away only one year into the excavation, never to see this magnificent discovery brought to light. “Gus” has been named in his honor. 

 

Heitkamp and his team spent 3 grueling summers excavating “Gus," followed by another 3 years of lab work, carefully extracting the fossil elements from their rocky matrix, before preparing and cleaning them. They then painstakingly catalogued and identified each fossil element, before mounting them to the highest scientific standards.

 

“Gus” is importantly a single specimen, offered with full rights; with an incredible 183 fossil bone elements, it is approximately 63% complete by bone count, with these bones representing 75–80% of the bone mass of the animal, placing it firmly among the most complete T. rexes ever found. 

 

“Gus” remarkably has an exceptionally preserved skull, with approximately 82% of the bones represented, including all six dentitions. The specimen also boasts a rare set of humeri; a rare furcula (wishbone); two very well represented feet (only one other specimen is known to have two well represented feet); a completely represented pelvis; and a well represented axial skeleton including cervical, dorsal, sacral, and caudal vertebrae, and much more. With a body length of approximately 38 feet, a skull length of 54 inches, a femur length of 50.39 inches (larger than that of Stan), and rising to 12 ½ feet tall, Gus is cemented as one of the largest T. rex ever found.

 

“Gus” is also a scientifically significant specimen, with pathologies on skull, vertebra, and appendicular skeleton. Most noticeable pathologies include injuries occurring during the life of the individual, with fractured and healed bones discernable in several ribs and gastralia. There are also a number of clear bite marks to several skull bones including the right dentary, as well as to several post cranial elements, possibly from scavenging. 

 

The first discovery of T. rex was made by paleontologist Barnum Brown (aka “Mr. Bones”) in 1902 while digging in the Hell Creek Formation of southeastern Montana. In the intervening 122 years, only 32 or so T. rex have been discovered, many represented by only a single bone. Only two have been confirmed to be more than 60% complete; “Sue” (FMNH PR 2081), now housed at the Chicago Field Museum, and “Stan” (BHI 3033) housed at the newly opened Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi.

 

Exhibition Dates: 

“Gus” will be on view at Sotheby’s New York from 1st - 14th July

 

Alongside further highlights from Sotheby’s “Geek Week” Sales, including Space Exploration and History of Science & Technology.

 

 

#Geek Week Auction Dates:  

-Natural History: Tuesday, July 14th, 10 AM

-Space Exploration: Wednesday, July 15th, 10 AM

-History of Science & Technology: Wednesday, July 15th, 2 PM