After being purchased at auction for $44.6 million by an anonymous buyer this summer, the complete skeleton of a Stegosaurus has been unveiled at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, sparking excitement and curiosity among children.
The museum introduced its newest resident, “Apex,” one of the most complete specimens ever discovered of the spiked-back dinosaur, Stegosaurus.
Amid the amazement of schoolchildren, the museum removed a beige covering to reveal the 3.4-meter-tall (11-foot) and 6-meter-long (20-foot) skeleton.
“People are genuinely thrilled about this fossil because the Stegosaurus is such an iconic dinosaur,” said Roger Benson, the museum’s dinosaur curator.
“Everyone has their favorite dinosaur, but the Stegosaurus is easily in the top five. It’s hard not to get excited about such a complete and impressive specimen of this animal,” Benson added.
The Stegosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur that walked on four legs and lived approximately 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period.
“Even though it was an herbivore, the Stegosaurus wasn’t like a cow or a sheep,” Benson explained. “It was a plant-eater that could defend itself. It had strong spikes on its tail and protective plates along its back.”
The fossil was discovered in Colorado and sold for a record-breaking $44.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction in July. The buyer has loaned the skeleton to the New York museum, a favorite destination for tourists and schoolchildren.
CREATED by:
“KORÇA BOOM”
