The United States Museum of Natural History revealed on Thursday (4) the identity of its newest resident: “Apex”, one of the most complete specimens of the herbivorous stegosaurus, known for its vertical extensions on its back and pointed tail.
Amid the expectation of an audience of children, the museum pulled back a beige curtain to reveal the 3.4 meter high and 6 meter long skeleton, from the Jurassic period.
“People are very excited about this fossil because Stegosaurus is an iconic dinosaur,” said the museum’s dinosaur curator, Roger Benson.
Stegosaurs were quadrupeds and lived in North America about 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic period. The first fossils of the species were discovered in the 1870s.
“Although it was herbivorous, Stegosaurus was not like a cow or a sheep,” Benson added. “It was a herbivore that knew how to take care of itself. He had these spikes on his tail and these plates on his back.” These features would be useful protection against carnivorous dinosaurs such as Allosaurus.
The stegosaurus in question was found in the state of Colorado and purchased for a record sum of $44.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction in July. The buyer loaned it to the museum, one of the most important natural history museums in the USA.
“Everyone has their favorite dinosaur, but Stegosaurus is in the top 5. It’s hard not to get excited about a really complete and large individual,” Benson said.
This content was originally published in New York Museum reveals skeleton of “Apex” stegosaurus on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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