The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) has unveiled a new addition to its dinosaur collection, an 8.2-meter-long Stegosaurus dubbed “Apex.” With nearly 80% of its skeleton intact, it is one of the most complete specimens of this iconic armor-plated herbivore ever found. The fossil, which lived around 150 million years ago in what is now North America and Europe, was unearthed two years ago in Colorado’s Morrison Formation.
Billionaire Kenneth Griffin purchased the fossil for a record-breaking $44.6 million earlier this year. AMNH has loaned the specimen to the museum, where it will be on display starting Sunday for four years. Researchers hope that “Apex” will help answer questions about Stegosaurus’ biology and provide insights into its growth, metabolic rate, and skeletal development.
As part of a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship, researchers at AMNH will analyze the fossil’s internal structures using CT scans to produce 3D digital models. They will also take bone samples to study Apex’s species identification and growth patterns. The museum aims to further our understanding of this fascinating dinosaur with the help of “Apex.”
Source: https://www.science.org/content/article/apex-stegosaur-most-expensive-dinosaur-fossil-ever-sold-heads-museum