In July, Sotheby’s in New York will be selling the most complete and largest skeleton of a stegosaurus ever discovered. This ancient dinosaur lived more than 161 million years ago and the fossil is made up of 247 bones, measuring 3.4 meters high and six meters long. The estimated value of the skeleton is between 4 and 6 million dollars.
The stegosaurus fossil was discovered in May 2022 by a commercial paleontologist in the Morrison Formation, located on private land in Moffat County, Colorado near the town of Dinosaur. The fossil is one-of-a-kind specimen as it was found alone. Experts have noted that the stegosaurus is in very good condition and shows no signs of combat or predation-related injuries, but there is evidence of arthritis, indicating that the dinosaur lived to an advanced age.
The stegosaurus, known as Apex, is one of the best-known members of the armored dinosaurs and is characterized by its arrangement of dermal armor that extends from its neck to its tail. Fossils of this group have been found in various continents during the Jurassic-Cretaceous periods.
Apex is part of the armored dinosaurs, distinguished by its unique cervical armor and four spikes at the end of its tail. Taxonomic differences between genera within the stegosaurus family remain a subject of debate among experts. Apex is significantly larger than another stegosaurus named Sophie, part of the collection of the National History Museum in London.
Before the auction, Apex will be exhibited at Sotheby’s galleries in New York along with highlights from other scheduled sales, including natural history and space exploration topics. The exhibitions will be open to the public with free admission to view this rare piece
