The Most Expensive Dinosaur Ever Cost $44.6 Million Dollars And Is Now Available For You To Visit In New York City
At the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City, the most expensive dinosaur skeleton is now on display. It is also one of the most complete Stegosaurus fossils ever found.
The skeleton was dubbed “Apex,” and it was unearthed near the town of Dinosaur, Colorado, in May 2022 by a commercial paleontologist named Jason Cooper.
It was discovered in the Morrison Formation, which is a layer of sedimentary rock established during the late Jurassic period.
Apex lived roughly 150 million years ago. About 80 percent of the skeleton’s bones are present, making it one of the most complete Stegosaurus fossils ever.
It will help scientists learn more about how the Stegosaurus grew from a tiny hatchling to creatures bigger than a minibus.
More than 254 of its bones were preserved out of approximately 320. The missing bones were filled in with three-dimensional printed and sculpted components.
“As exciting as it is to have this dinosaur on display, it is even more exciting to have the opportunity to study it and make important scientific data available for research,” said Roger Benson, the Macaulay Curator of Paleontology at the museum.
“Stegosaurus is one of the top dinosaurs known by the general public, but scientifically, we have much more to learn.”
After Apex was excavated and prepared, it was mounted with its tail raised in the air, as if it were about to defend itself from a predator or rival.
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The dinosaur skeleton is 11.5 feet tall and 27 feet long. The specimen is being loaned to the AMNH by its buyer, Kenneth C. Griffin, a hedge fund manager and billionaire.
In July 2024, Griffin bought the skeleton at auction for $44.6 million. The previous record-holder for the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold was a T.rex named Stan. In 2020, Stan went for $31.8 million.
AMNH plans to display Apex for four years. Afterward, a cast will be made to replace the original bones. The skeleton will also be available to the research community for study. Griffin endowed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship for the study of Apex.
“Apex offers a unique window into our planet’s distant past, and I’m so pleased to partner with the American Museum of Natural History to showcase it at one of our country’s preeminent scientific institutions,” said Griffin.
“I am grateful that millions of visitors and researchers will now be able to see and learn from this magnificent specimen of the Late Jurassic period.”
The goal is to identify what species of Stegosaurus that Apex belongs to and to investigate the growth of stegosauruses in general.
Scientists will take a small sample of Apex’s thigh bone and perform a CT scan of its skull to gain more information about the dinosaur’s biology.
The Stegosaurus is one of the most recognizable dinosaurs in the world, with its distinctive pointy plates on its back.
The first stegosaurian fossil was found in 1874 in the United Kingdom. A second specimen was discovered in Colorado in 1877, and that was when the group was given its name.
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