- Auction of large skeleton of a stegosaurus was in New York City and set a new record
- Smashed previous auction record for a dinosaur skeleton by more than $12 million
- Stegosaurus skeleton is one of the most complete examples ever discovered
A skeleton of a stegosaurus has been sold at auction in New York City for a world record amount.
Record sale
At the auction by Sotheby’s, the stegosaurus skeleton, which measures 11 feet in height and 27 feet long and is one of the most complete ever found, sold for $44.6 million, a new record for a fossil sold at auction.
The buyer of the stegosaurus, nicknamed Apex, has remained anonymous but said in a statement that Apex was born in America and is going to stay in America. This could mean the owner is American and that it may be loaned to a museum in the country.
Apex was discovered two years ago by fossil hunter Jason Cooper, appropriately enough near a town named Dinosaur in Colorado. He was named Apex as, due to its size, it would have been the dominant dinosaur in its area.
Smashed record
The final auction price was 11 times higher than the pre-auction estimate that experts had given it. The auction took 15 minutes and saw seven bidders battle it out for Apex. When the gavel came down, there was applause in the auction room.
The amount Apex sold for smashed the previous record auction price for a dinosaur fossil was set in 2020 when a Tyrannosaurus rex – nicknamed Stan – was sold for $31.8 million.
Stegosaurus such as Apex are believed to have existed about 145-155 million years ago in the late Jurassic period. They are known for their spiky backs and tails and were herbivores – so ate plants rather than meat.
