The fossilized remains of a stegosaurus named "Apex" are said to be among the "most complete skeletons ever found." Apex sold at auction for over $44 million.
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The largest skeleton of a stegosaurus ever found was auctioned in New York for a record-breaking $44.6 million ('40.7 million) by Sotheby's on Wednesday.
The fossil, nicknamed "Apex," was said to be "among the most complete skeletons ever found," according to the auction house.
The estimated auction price was $4 million to $6 million, but the dinosaur's skeleton surpassed the valuation by a considerable margin.
It also broke the record for the auction price for a dinosaur fossil, of $31.8 million for the remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed Stan, sold in .
The stegosaurus fossil is some 150 million years oldImage: picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS.comThe buyer's identity, who beat six other bidders, was not revealed. The Associated Press, however, reported the buyer was a US national who intended to lend the skeleton to an institution for research in the United States.
Apex "has now taken its place in history, some 150 million years since it roamed the planet," said Cassandra Hatton, who heads Sotheby's science-related business.
She has called Apex "a coloring book dinosaur," for its well-preserved features.
Apex was discovered in May on the private land of paleontologist Jason Cooper in Colorado.
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The remains of the stegosaurus are on display in different parts of the world, but Sotheby's said Apex is 30% larger than Sophie, the most complete stegosaurus on public display to date.
Standing at 3.3 meters (11 feet) tall and 8.2 meters long, the stegosaurus lived long enough to show signs of arthritis, Sotheby's said.
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mfi/sms (AFP, AP)
CNN
'A Stegosaurus skeleton has become the most valuable fossil ever sold at auction, being snapped up for $44.6 million in New York.
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The dinosaur fossil was sold on Wednesday to an anonymous buyer after it was sought after by seven bidders, according to Sotheby's, the auction house handling the sale.
The fossil, nicknamed 'Apex,' smashed its pre-sale estimate, which was between $4 million and $6 million.
Apex was discovered on private land in Moffat County, Colorado, by commercial paleontologist Jason Cooper in , Sotheby's said in a press release.
It was preserved in hard sandstone, which protected the bones from becoming distorted, Sotheby's added.
Apex is 11 feet tall and nearly 27 feet long from nose to tail.
Sotheby'sMeasuring 11 feet tall and nearly 27 feet long from nose to tail, with 254 fossil bone elements of an approximate total of 319, indications suggest that Apex was a 'large, robust adult individual,' according to the auction house.
There is also evidence that the dinosaur might have had arthritis, which could suggest that it lived to an advanced age.
Despite the obvious commercial demand for Apex, some paleontologists have argued that the fossil should be put on display in a museum instead of being sold to private bidders.
Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology and evolution at Scotland's University of Edinburgh, told CNN in May that Apex was 'an important dinosaur fossil,' especially since there are 'far fewer good (Stegosaurus) skeletons than other famous dinosaurs like T. rex and Triceratops.'
'It is a great shame when a fossil like this, which could educate and rouse the curiosity of so many people, just disappears into the mansion of an oligarch,' Brusatte said before the sale.
Apex became the most valuable fossil ever sold at an auction, according to Sotheby's.
Sotheby'sHe added: 'The uber-wealthy will always be able to outbid museums when a dinosaur is sold on the open market, so my hope is that if there is somebody with the means to buy a fossil like this, and this fossil captures their fancy, that they donate it to a museum.'
Sotheby's said on Wednesday that the person who bought Apex 'intends to explore loaning the specimen to a U.S. institution.'
According to the press release, the successful buyer said: 'Apex was born in America and is going to stay in America.'
Wednesday's auction was not the first to offer dinosaur fossils to commercial bidders.
According to Sotheby's, it sold 'Sue,' a Tyrannosaurus rex and the first ever dinosaur to be sold at auction, for $8.4 million in .
'Stan,' another Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, was sold for $31.8 million in .
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