In a remarkable paleontological event, the largest and most complete stegosaurus skeleton ever discovered is set to be auctioned off at Sotheby's in New York next week. The 150-million-year-old fossil, named Apex, is expected to fetch up to $6 million.
The stegosaurus skeleton, standing 11 feet (3.3 meters) tall and nearly 27 feet (8.2 meters) long, was put on display at Sotheby's on Wednesday and will be exhibited until its sale on July 17. Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's global head of science and popular culture, emphasized the rarity of the find, stating that it is between 79 to 85 percent fossil, a remarkably high percentage.
If you find half of a dinosaur, that's considered a significant scientific discovery. Sixty percent is incredible, and once you're getting to 70, 80 percent, the whole world pays attention, Hatton said.
The name Apex was chosen to highlight the specimen's prominence within the stegosaurus family. Hatton expressed her excitement about the discovery, stating, Dinosaurs are awesome. Who wouldn't be excited about these massive creatures? I think we've been talking about them forever. We've kind of built them into mythology, the concept of dragons and Godzilla.
Apex was discovered in May 2022 on the private land of paleontologist Jason Cooper in Colorado's Morrison Formation in the United States. Sotheby's worked closely with Cooper to document the entire process of discovery, excavation, restoration, preparation, and mounting, ensuring the authenticity of the fossil.
Experts were able to determine that Apex was an advanced adult stegosaurus that likely lived a peaceful life, as there were no signs of injury or battle. The animal's death pose, with its tail curled underneath its body, suggests it died of old age.
Stegosaurus skeletons are already on display around the world, but Apex is said to be 30 percent larger than the most complete stegosaurus on public display, which is housed in the Natural History Museum in London.
The auction of Apex comes amid ongoing debates within the scientific community about the sale of coveted dinosaur fossils to private bidders. Some argue that such finds should be preserved in museums or other public spaces for the benefit of researchers and the general public.
Nevertheless, the sale of Apex is expected to generate significant interest, as it represents a remarkable and rare paleontological discovery. The auction will be closely watched by both dinosaur enthusiasts and the scientific community alike.
