the Nearly complete fossilized remains of a Stegosaurus The painting sold for $44.6 million at auction on Wednesday, Sotheby’s said. The buyer’s name was not disclosed.
The fossil, dubbed “Apex,” is among the most complete ever found, according to the auction house.
The price exceeded the pre-sale estimate of $4 million to $6 million, and surpassed the previous auction record for dinosaur fossils – $31.8 million for remains. Tyrannosaurus Rex nicknamed Orchardsold in 2020.
“Apex has now taken its place in history, some 150 million years since it roamed the planet,” said Cassandra Hutton, who heads Sotheby’s science-related business.
Dinosaur fossil sales cause some frustration among academic paleontologists who feel that specimens belong in museums or research centers that cannot afford the huge auction prices.
Sotheby’s said the anonymous buyer was an American who planned to consider lending Apex to a U.S. institution. The buyer beat six other bidders.
Stegosaurus was one of the most distinctive dinosaurs in the world. dinosaursIt features spiked plates on its back. Hatton has dubbed Apex the “colouring book dinosaur” due to its well-preserved features.
Measuring 3.3 metres (8.2 metres) long from nose to tail, the apex was a large stegosaur that lived long enough to show signs of arthritis, according to Sotheby’s.
Commercial paleontologist Jason Cooper discovered the fossil in 2022 on his property near Dinosaur Town, Colorado, which is no surprise. The small community is located near Dinosaur National Monument and the Utah border.