by A Stegosaurus skeleton dubbed the “most complete and best preserved” of its kind ever found is expected to fetch up to $6 million at auction this summer – but not everyone is happy about it.
The “exceptional” and “almost complete” dinosaur fossil, which stands 11 feet tall and 20 feet 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 preserved in museums or other public spaces.
However, that will not stop the auction of the 150 million year old fossil from going ahead in New York on July 17th.
Apex, as it has been nicknamed, is the “finest Stegosaurus specimen to hit the market,” Sotheby’s said in a press release Wednesday. It is expected to fetch between $4 million and $6 million, making it one of the most valuable dinosaur fossils ever put up for sale, the auction house added.
Characterized by its distinctive shape, the Stegosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur with a tiny head and bony plates marching down its back, ending in a spiked tail.
A commercial paleontologist named Jason Cooper discovered Apex on his private land in Colorado, and Sotheby’s said he was involved in the process from the start.
The auction house worked closely with Cooper to “document the entire process, from discovery and excavation to restoration, preparation and mounting, ensuring that the documentation and sale of the specimen is handled with the highest standards and transparency.”
This collaboration, he said, “continues Sotheby’s legacy of pioneering Natural History auctions.”
Some, however, see it differently.
Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology and evolution at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, described the specimen as an “important dinosaur fossil,” especially because “there are far fewer good skeletons (of Stegosaurus) than other famous dinosaurs like T. rex and Triceratops”.
This, according to Brusatte, is part of the reason it should not be in private hands.
“If what the auction house is saying is true, and what I’m seeing in these photos is true, then this skeleton really belongs in a museum, where it can be preserved, studied by scientists, and put on display 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 educate and arouse the curiosity of so many people, disappears into the oligarch’s mansion.”
“Apex” was discovered in the Morrison Formation in Moffat County, Colorado – and very close to the home of Dinosaur – in May 2022. It took more than a year to fully excavate the specimen, which was found to have evidence of arthritis. , suggesting that he lived to a very old age, with no signs of combat or predation-related injuries.
The highest bidder will receive a copy of the scanned data of the dinosaur, as well as a full license to use any 3D data as they wish. According to Sotheby’s, “this will enable basic knowledge about the dinosaur to remain with the specimen and foster collaboration in future research and education.”
However, Brusatte argued that research and education would be better served by an institution with expertise in fossil dinosaurs.
“The horribly rich will always be able to fight museums when dinosaurs are sold on the open market, so I hope that if there is someone who can afford to buy a fossil like this, and that counts this fossil their wonders. give it to a museum,” Brusatte said.
“It would be a legacy – to put your dinosaur on public display, to put your name up in lights as the donor who saved the dinosaur for science, with children and families strolling by this terrifying prehistoric creature .”
London’s Natural History Museum has “Sophie,” a comparable fossil – although “Apex” is at least 30% larger, according to Sotheby’s.
Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture, described Apex as “simply one of the finest fossils of its kind ever discovered”.
Visitors to Sotheby’s galleries in New York will be able to see Apex as part of a free display of some of the items on sale during Geek Week.
Sotheby’s “legacy of pioneering auctions in Natural History,” as it refers to it, includes the sale of an ancient Gorgosaurus skeleton in 2022, which sold for just over $6 million. He 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 would be lost to science, but in March Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism unveiled plans to make Stan a star attraction at a new natural history museum, which is expected to open in 2025 in Abu. Dhabi, as previously reported by CNN.
Kristen Rogers and Yenny Sanchez contributed to this report.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
