“Samson,” the Tyrannosaurus rex that failed to sell at a Las Vegas auction last month, has a new owner and may be on public display soon, the auction house announced.

Thomas Lindgren, the co-director of natural history auctions for Bonhams and Butterfields, wouldn’t say who bought the dinosaur or how much was paid, but said the private owner hopes to have the fossils on display in a museum by Christmas.

“They’re negotiating right now with a number of different museums that have interest,” Lindgren said. “We shouldn’t have to worry about her disappearing into a private collection, which certainly was a worry for a while.”

While he wouldn’t identify the price -– whether to reveal that information is left up to the new owner –- Lindgren said the successful offer was “somewhere in the $5 million area.” The bidder paid cash, Lindgren said.

Samson is considered the third most-complete T. rex ever found, with 170 bones, or about 56 percent of the body.

The dinosaur was put up for auction Oct. 3 at the Venetian resort along with almost 50 other items. The T. rex got a final bid of $3.6 million at the auction, short of the minimum price set by the owner.