Sotheby’s recently auctioned off the skeleton of a stegosaurus named Apex for a staggering $45 million, setting a new record for dinosaur fossils. The sale price far exceeded the estimated $4-6 million, and the exact sale price was $44.6 million. The auction closed on Wednesday morning, but the buyer’s identity was not immediately disclosed.
Described as the finest Stegosaurus to ever come to market, Apex lived up to its name as the most valuable fossil ever sold at auction. The skeleton is approximately 161 million years old, 11 feet tall, and nearly 27 feet long from nose to tail. It was excavated in Colorado between 2022 and 2023 and is mounted in an aggressive attack pose on a custom steel armature.
The fossil also shows signs of arthritis, suggesting that Apex lived a long life. This sale surpasses previous dinosaur fossil records, with a Tyrannosaurus rex selling for $8.4 million in 1997 and a T. rex skeleton fetching $32 million in 2020. Sotheby’s also sold a Gorgosaurus skeleton for over $6 million in 2022.
Vocabulary List:
- Auctioned /ˈɔːkʃən/ (verb): The act of selling goods or property to the highest bidder.
- Staggering /ˈstæɡərɪŋ/ (adjective): Deeply shocking or astonishing.
- Exceeded /ɪkˈsiːdɪd/ (verb): Went beyond the limits or expectations.
- Excavated /ˈɛkskəˌveɪtɪd/ (verb): Dug out from the ground.
- Armature /ˈɑːrmətʃər/ (noun): A supportive structure or framework.
- Significant /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ (adjective): Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.
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