The American Museum of Natural History unveiled its latest exhibit on Thursday: “Apex,” one of the most complete Stegosaurus specimens ever found. Known for its iconic upright plates and spiked tail, the plant-eating dinosaur’s 20-foot (6-meter) long, 11-foot (3.4-meter) tall skeleton drew excited reactions from a group of school children as a beige curtain was pulled back to reveal the fossil.
Roger Benson, the museum’s dinosaur curator, explained the significance of the Stegosaurus, saying, “People are really excited about this fossil because Stegosaurus is an iconic dinosaur.” Stegosaurus roamed North America about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic Period, with its fossils first discovered in the 1870s.
Though it was herbivorous, Stegosaurus wasn’t defenseless. “It has these wicked spikes on its tail. It has plates along its back,” Benson said, adding that these features likely served as protection from predators like the meat-eating Allosaurus.
Found in Colorado, this exceptional fossil fetched a record $44.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction in July. The buyer has generously loaned it to the New York museum, one of the leading natural history institutions in the U.S. Benson summed up the excitement, stating, “Stegosaurus is up there in the top five” of favorite dinosaurs.
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