The stegosaurus skeleton, nicknamed Apex, sold at Sotheby’s auction in New York for $44.6 million. It became the most expensive fossil in the history of trading.
The dinosaur was put up for auction on July 17 as part of Sotheby’s “Geek Week” series in New York. It was assumed that its price will reach $ 4-6 million.
Apex was sold to an anonymous buyer who commented on his purchase as follows:
“Apex was born in America and will stay in America.”
This Stegosaurus skeleton is considered one of the most complete dinosaur remains ever found. Apex surpassed the record of a Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed Stan, whose remains sold for $31.8 million in 2020.
A nearly complete fossilized remains of Stegosaurus, 161–146 million years old, was discovered in Colorado in 2022. According to Cassandra Hutton, head of science and popular culture at Sotheby’s, the dinosaur, which Sotheby’s calls Apex, is 3.3 meters tall and 8.2 meters long from nose to tail.
Stegosaurus, with its characteristic pointed dorsal plates, is one of the most famous dinosaurs in the world.
Apex was discovered in May 2022 on private property near Dinesor, Colorado. Excavations were completed in October 2023, according to Sotheby’s.
Although experts believe stegosaurus used its formidable tail spikes as a weapon, this specimen showed no signs of combat, Sotheby’s said. The fossil shows signs of arthritis, suggesting that Apex lived to an advanced age.
Apex was found with its tail curled under its body, a common death posture for animals, scientists said.
“It’s an incredibly rare animal. A stegosaurus of this size has never been sold at auction before, so we’ll find out what it’s really worth.” – said zoologists on the eve of the auction.
