The world’s most expensive dinosaur, known as “Apex,” now has a home at the American Museum of Natural History in New York — at least for now.
Billionaire Ken Griffin bought the stegosaurus skeleton for a record price of US$44.6 million (about R$260 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in July.
The skeleton, which is 150 million years old, was installed this Thursday morning (5) on the ground floor of the New York museum. The exhibition will open to the public on December 8th.
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Next year, “Apex” will be moved to the fourth floor of the museum, where other dinosaurs are on display, and will be on display for four years. After this period, a replica of the Stegosaurus will take its place.
Griffin, founder and CEO of the hedge fund Citadel, said he was pleased to display the dinosaur at one of the most renowned scientific institutions in the United States.
“‘Apex’ offers a unique window into our planet’s distant past,” Griffin said after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
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Discovered in the US state of Colorado in 2022, the “Apex” is the most complete dinosaur of its species ever found, measuring 8.2 meters long and 3.5 meters high.
The fossil indicates that the herbivore is one of the few stegosaurus specimens that lived to a great age.
Griffin acquired the fossil in a frenzied 15-minute auction attended by at least 100 people. At the time, he stated that he would like to lend the skeleton to an institution in the USA.
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The American West, where “Apex” was discovered, is considered one of the best places in the world to find dinosaur fossils.
Unlike many countries where fossils are state property, in the US, selling dinosaurs found on private land, with the owner’s permission, is generally legal.
“Stan”, a Tyrannosaurus that previously held the fossil market record, was sold for US$32 million at a Christie’s auction in 2020. Today, it is in the United Arab Emirates.
