Stegosaurus Fossil Found in Colorado Sells for $44.6 Million

As a kid, I often dug in the side of the yard hoping that I would find a dinosaur fossil. A triceratops or tyrannosaurus rex was always on the top of my list of fossils that I wanted to find. Needless to say, my dad wasn't too thrilled with my digging and I never did find a fossil. Kids, right? This week, a record-setting sale of a Stegosaurus dinosaur found in Colorado has quite a few people talking. The 150 million-year-old fossil was found in Western Colorado near a town called Dinosaur.

The fossil has been said to be the largest and most complete specimen of a Stegosaurus ever recovered. Named Apex, the dinosaur stands 11 feet tall and 20 feet long. It is believed that the Stegosaurus lived to an advanced age due to signs of arthritis and there are no signs that the ancient reptile endured any form of combat. Moreover, there also appears to be no sight of scavenging by other animals after this prehistoric giant perished.

The Most Complete Stegosaurus Ever Recovered

One of the most fascinating elements of the discovery of the Stegosaurus fossil is that the specimen is nearly complete. 245 out of 319 fossil bones were recovered in the discovery.

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Classified as a monumental item in the Sotheby's Auction, the initial estimate for the prized dinosaur was set anywhere between $4-6 million. Apex, the Stegosaurus sold for ten times that amount. The dinosaur fossil sold for a record-breaking $44.6 million, which made it the most valuable fossil ever sold at an auction.

See the video of the bidding battle of Apex the Stegosaurus below:

Dig even deeper into the discovery of Apex in Colorado through the documentary of the Stegosaurus fossil.