CNN
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A Stegosaurus skeleton described as the “most complete and best preserved” of its kind ever discovered is expected to fetch up to $6 million at auction this summer – but not everyone is happy about it.
The “exceptional” and “nearly complete” dinosaur fossil, which measures 3.5 meters high and 6 meters long, will be sold as part of Sotheby’s annual Geek Week.
Paleontologists have questioned the sale of such specimens to private bidders, arguing that these finds should be kept in museums or other public spaces.
Nevertheless, that will not stop the auction of the 150 million year old fossil on July 17 in New York.
Apex, as it is nicknamed, is the “best Stegosaurus specimen to come to market,” Sotheby’s said in a press release on Wednesday. It is expected to fetch between $4 million and $6 million, making it one of the most valuable dinosaur fossils ever offered for sale, the auction house said.
Characterized by its distinctive shape, Stegosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur with a small head and bony plates that marched down its back and ended in a pointed tail.
A commercial paleontologist named Jason Cooper unearthed Apex on his private property in Colorado, and Sotheby’s said it has been involved in the process from the beginning.
The auction house worked closely with Cooper to “document the entire process, from discovery and excavation to restoration, preparation and assembly, to ensure that the documentation and sale of the specimen is handled with the highest standards and transparency.”
This collaboration, the report said, “continues Sotheby’s legacy of pioneering natural history auctions.”
Sotheby’s
The fossil, nicknamed Apex, was discovered by a commercial paleontologist on his private property in Colorado.
However, some see it differently.
Steve Brusatte, professor of paleontology and evolution at Scotland’s University of Edinburgh, described the specimen as “an important dinosaur fossil,” especially because there are “far fewer good (Stegosaurus) skeletons than other famous dinosaurs such as T. rex and Triceratops.”
According to Brusatte, this is one of the reasons that it should not end up in private hands.
“If what the auction house says is true, and what I see in these photos is real, then this skeleton truly belongs in a museum, where it can be preserved, studied by scientists and displayed to inspire people. from all walks of life,” he said in an email to CNN on Thursday.
“It is a great shame when a fossil like this, which could arouse and arouse the curiosity of so many people, just disappears into the mansion of an oligarch.”
“Apex” was discovered in May 2022 in the Morrison Formation in Moffat County, Colorado – and appropriately, close to the town of Dinosaur. It took more than a year to fully excavate the specimen, which was found to show signs of arthritis. suggesting it lived to old age, with no signs of combat or predation-related injuries.
The highest bidder will receive a copy of the dinosaur scan data, plus a full license to use all 3D data as he or she wishes. This, according to Sotheby’s, will “enable primary information about the dinosaur to remain with the specimen and promote collaboration in future research and education.”
Sotheby’s
There were no signs of injury on the specimen, but there was evidence of arthritis, indicating that the dinosaur lived to an old age.
However, Brusatte argued that research and education would be best served if the fossil were owned by an institution with expertise in dinosaurs.
“The very wealthy will always be able to outbid museums when a dinosaur is sold on the open market, so I hope that if there is anyone out there who has the means to buy a fossil like this, and this fossil will capture their imagination says that they donate it to a museum,” says Brusatte.
“What a legacy that would be – to have your dinosaur on public display, to have your name in the light as the donor who saved the dinosaur for science, as children and families walk by and look at this amazing creature from the prehistory gazing.”
London’s Natural History Museum houses ‘Sophie’, a similar fossil – although ‘Apex’ is at least 30% larger, according to Sotheby’s.
Cassandra Hatton, global head of science and popular culture at Sotheby’s, described Apex as “simply one of the best fossils of its kind ever unearthed.”
Visitors to Sotheby’s galleries in New York can see Apex as part of a free exhibition of some of the items for sale during Geek Week.
Sotheby’s “legacy of groundbreaking natural history auctions,” as it refers to it, includes the 2022 sale of an ancient Gorgosaurus skeleton, which sold for just over $6 million. It also sold the first standalone T Rex skull with “Maximus” in December 2022.
Stan, the world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, set a new world record in 2020 when it sold for $31.8 million at Christie’s. At the time of the sale, paleontologists feared the fossil had been lost to science, but in March Abu Dhabi’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism unveiled plans for Stan to become a star attraction at a new natural history museum, expected to open in 2025 will open in Abu Dhabi. Dhabi, as CNN previously reported.