On Thursday, the American Museum of Natural History unveiled its latest exhibit, “Apex,” a remarkably complete Stegosaurus skeleton, captivating an audience of schoolchildren with the reveal.
As the museum staff drew back a beige curtain, the assembly gasped at seeing the 11-foot-tall, 20-foot-long dinosaur from the Jurassic Period.
Roger Benson, the museum’s dinosaur curator, expressed his excitement about the fossil. Stegosaurus is an iconic dinosaur, and people get thrill to see such a complete specimen.
Living approximately 150 million years ago, the Stegosaurus roamed North America. Unlike other herbivores, it boasted defensive spikes on its tail and protective plates along its back, useful against predators like Allosaurus.
The fossil, discovered in Colorado, sold for $44.6 million at a July Sotheby’s auction. It is now on loan to the museum, a prominent institution in the United States.
“Stegosaurus consistently ranks among everyone’s favourite dinosaurs, making it exciting to present such a well-preserved, sizable specimen,” Benson remarked.