Described as the “most complete and best preserved” stegosaurus skeleton of its kind that has ever been discovered, it was reportedly set to sell for upwards of $6 million at auction. However, many people are upset about the decision.
The dinosaur fossil, which is said to be “exceptional” and “virtually complete,” currently stands at 11 feet tall and 20 feet long. As part of Sotheby’s annual Geek Week, the nearly fully constructed skeleton is being sold to a private bidder.
Several paleontologists have notably questioned the sale of such specimens to private bidders, stating that such discoveries should always be preserved in either museums or other protected public spaces.
However, paleontologists’ sentiments could not stop the New York auction on July 17 to sell the 150-million-year-old fossil. Nicknamed “Apex,” Sotheby’s has called the enormous skeletal replica “the finest stegosaurus specimen to come to market.”
According to the auction house, the stegosaurus was expected to attract between $4 and $6 million before the sale, which would make it one of the most valuable dinosaur fossils ever offered for sale.
Jason Cooper, a commercial paleontologist, unearthed “Apex” on his private land in Colorado, and Sotheby’s claims that it was involved in the process from the start.
Cooper collaborated closely with the auction house to “document the entire process, from discovery and excavation to restoration, preparation, and mounting, ensuring that the documentation and sale of the specimen are handled with the highest standards of transparency.” The auction house said this collaboration “continues Sotheby’s legacy of pioneering Natural History auctions.”
Professor of paleontology and evolution at Scotland’s University of Edinburgh, Steve Brusatte, called the specimen “an important dinosaur fossil,” especially since there are “far fewer (stegosaurus) skeletons than other famous dinosaurs like T-Rex and triceratops.”
According to Brusatte, this is part of the reason “Apex” should not be in private hands.
In an e-mail to CNN on Thursday, he stated, “If what the auction house is saying is true, and what I’m seeing in these photos is genuine, then the skeleton really does belong in a museum, where it can be conserved, studied by scientists, and put on display to inspire people from all walks of life.”
“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.”
“Apex” was aptly discovered near the town of Dinosaur, Colorado, in the Morrison Formation in Moffat County in May 2022. The entire specimen took over a year to fully excavate, which included bones that showed evidence of arthritis, suggesting that “Apex” likely lived to an advanced age and showed no signs of predation-related injuries.
Nevertheless, Brusatte argues that research and education would be best served if the fossil remained in an institution.
He stated, “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.”
