Sue (stylized: SUE), officially designated FMNH PR 2081, is one of the largest, most extensive, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever found, at over 90% recovered by bulk. FMNH PR 2081 was discovered on August 12, 1990, by American explorer and fossil collector Sue Hendrickson, after whom it is named. After ownership disputes were settled, Sue was auctioned in October 1997 for US$8.3 million (equivalent to about $17 million in 2025), at that time the highest price ever paid for a fossil, and still among the highest prices paid for a dinosaur skeleton. Sue is now a permanent feature at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois.
Discovery During the summer of 1990, a group of workers from the Black Hills Institute, located in Hill City, searched for fossils at the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in western South Dakota near the city of Faith. By the end of the summer, the group had discovered Edmontosaurus bones and was ready to leave. However, a flat tire was discovered on their truck before the group could depart on August 12. While the rest of the group went into town to repair the truck, Sue Hendrickson decided to explore the nearby cliffs that the group had not checked. As she was walking along the base of a cliff, she discovered some small pieces of bone. She looked above her to see where the bones had originated, and observed larger bones protruding from the wall of the cliff. She returned to camp with two small pieces of the bones and reported the discovery to the president of the Black Hills Institute, Peter Larson. He determined that the bones were from a T. rex by their distinctive contour and texture. Later, closer examination of the site showed many visible bones above the ground and some articulated vertebrae.
The crew ordered extra plaster and, although some of the crew had to depart, Hendrickson and a few other workers began to uncover the bones. The group was excited, as it was evident that much of the dinosaur had been preserved. Previously discovered T. rex skeletons were usually missing over half of their bones. It was later determined that Sue was a record 90% complete by bulk, and 73% complete counting the elements. Of the 360 known T. rex bones, around 250 have been recovered. Scientists believe that this specimen was covered by water and mud soon after its death, which prevented other animals from carrying away the bones. Additionally, the rushing water mixed the skeleton together. When the fossil was found, the hip bones were above the skull and the leg bones were intertwined with the ribs. The large size and the excellent condition of the bones were also surprising. The skull was 1.394 m (4 ft 6.9 in) long, and most of the teeth were still intact. After the group completed excavating the bones, each block was covered in burlap and coated in plaster, followed by a transfer to the offices of the Black Hills Institute, where they began to clean the bones.
Dispute and auction Soon after the fossil was found, a dispute arose over legal ownership. The Black Hills Institute had obtained permission from the owner of the land, Maurice Williams, to excavate and remove the skeleton, and had paid Williams US$5,000 for the remains. Williams later claimed that the money had not been for the sale of the fossil and that he had only allowed Larson to remove and clean the fossil for a later sale. Williams was a member of the Sioux tribe, and the tribe claimed the bones belonged to them. However, the property where the fossil had been found was held in trust by the United States Department of the Interior. In 1992, the FBI and the South Dakota National Guard raided the site where the Black Hills Institute had been cleaning the bones and seized the fossil, charging Larson on 158 points. The government transferred the remains to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where the skeleton was stored until the penal and civil legal disputes were settled. The United States Senate voted to not confirm the appointment of Kevin Schieffer as United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota after his controversial handling of the penal case. In 1996, Larson was sentenced to a two-year prison sentence involving customs violations unrelated to the T. rex. After a lengthy civil case, the court decreed that Maurice Williams retained ownership. Williams then decided to sell the remains and contracted with Sotheby's to auction the specimen. Many at the time worried that the fossil would end up in a private collection where people would not be able to observe it. The Field Museum in Chicago was also concerned about this possibility, and decided to attempt to purchase it. However, the organization realized that they might have had difficulty securing funding and requested that companies and private citizens provide financial support. The California State University system, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, McDonald's, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and individual donors agreed to assist in purchasing Sue for the Field Museum. On October 4, 1997, the auction began at US$500,000; less than ten minutes later, the Field Museum had purchased the remains with the highest bid of US$7.6 million, which eclipsed bids made on behalf of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The final cost was US$8,362,500, making it the most expensive fossil ever sold up until that time. Sue remains one of the most expensive dinosaur fossils ever sold, only surpassed in 2020 with the sale of Stan the T. rex. for $31.8 million, and subsequently in 2024 by Apex the Stegosaurus, which sold for $44.6 million. And yet again in 2026 by a different Tyrannosaur by the name of Gus who sold for $50.1 million.
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