Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Via AP news wire

A stegosaurus nicknamed Apex will be auctioned in New York. Its remains show signs of arthritis

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Support truly
independent journalism

The nearly complete fossilized remains of a 161-million-year-old stegosaurus discovered in Colorado in 2022 will be auctioned by Sotheby's in New York next week, auction house officials said.

The dinosaur that Sotheby's calls Apex stands 11 feet (3.3 meters) tall and measures 27 feet (8.2 meters) nose to tail, according to Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's global head of science and popular culture.

The stegosaurus, with its distinctive pointy dorsal plates, is one of the world's most recognizable dinosaurs.

Apex, which Hatton called “a coloring book dinosaur," was discovered in May 2022 on private land near the town of Dinosaur, Colorado. The excavation was completed in October 2023, Sotheby's said.

Though experts believe stegosauruses used their fearsome tail spikes to fight, this specimen shows no signs of combat, Sotheby's said. The fossil does show evidence of arthritis, suggesting that Apex lived to an advanced age.

Hatton said Apex was found “with the tail curled up underneath the body, which is a common death pose for animals.”

The dinosaur will be auctioned on July 17 as part of Sotheby's “Geek Week” series.

Sotheby's is estimating that it will sell for $4 million to $6 million.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.