A 161 million-year-old stegosaurus with signs of arthritis will be auctioned with an estimated price tag of between $4 million and $6 million by Sotheby’s in New York next week.
Discovered in Colorado in 2022, this nearly complete fossilized dinosaur, named “Apex,” stands 11 feet tall and measures 27 feet from nose to tail, according to Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture.
The stegosaurus, known for its distinctive pointy dorsal plates, is among the most recognizable dinosaurs in the world.
The excavation of Apex, which was found on private land, spanned from May 2022 to October 2023, taking over a year to complete.
This specimen shows no signs of combat despite experts believing stegosauruses used their tail spikes for fighting, according to Sotheby’s.
Contrarily, the fossil exhibits evidence of arthritis, indicating 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.”
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The auction will take place on July 17 as part of Sotheby’s “Geek Week” series.
“This is an incredibly rare animal,” Hatton said. “A stegosaurus of this caliber has never sold at auction before, so we will find out what it is actually worth.”
