And so, the hammer came down and bidding ended on a remarkable Stegosaurus fossil skeleton that had been offered for sale at the auction house Sotheby’s (New York).  The Stegosaurus specimen, nicknamed “Apex” sold for a whopping $44.6 million USD (£34.5 million GBP).  This is a world record amount for a dinosaur fossil.  It had an estimated value of between $4 million and $6 million USD.  However, as the bidding started this was soon exceeded.

Seven bidders wanted this Stegosaurus, and they were prepared to pay big bucks to get it.  After fifteen minutes of frantic excitement lot thirteen was sold.  Unsurprisingly, given the sums involved, the Stegosaurus fossil skeleton was purchased by an anonymous bidder.  The buyer is believed to be a billionaire hedge fund owner (Kenneth Griffin).

The stunning Stegosaurus skeleton “Apex” sold for a world record amount of $44.6 million USD at Sotheby’s New York. Picture credit: Matthew Sherman.

Picture credit: Matthew Sherman

“Apex” A Stunning Stegosaurus Fossil Skeleton

“Apex” was discovered on privately owned land in Moffat County, Colorado.  The land is owned by a commercial palaeontologist called Jason Cooper.  It is ironic, that the dig site was close to the small town of Dinosaur. The material, representing a single animal, consists of 254 fossil bones. This represents nearly eighty percent of the entire skeleton. The estimated number of bones in a Stegosaurus skeleton is 319, give or take the odd chevron.

Not only is it one of the most complete large dinosaur skeletons discovered, the bones bear witness to some remarkable pathology that helps tell the tale of this iconic Late Jurassic herbivore. The mounted skeleton measures over 8.2 metres long.

The impressive “thagomizer” on “Apex” the Stegosaurus fossil skeleton. Picture credit: Matthew Sherman.

Picture credit: Matthew Sherman

Auction House and Commercial Palaeontologist Co-operating Closely

Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Global Head of Science & Popular Culture worked closely with Jason Cooper from the day of discovery onwards.  The fossils were carefully documented and excavated.  The material was prepared and mounted and at each stage the highest standards of transparency were adhered to.  The aim being to preserve as much information about the fossils as possible.  Skin impressions were noted and three, tiny ossicles representing throat armour were carefully extracted from the Morrison Formation matrix.  These also ended up as part of the Stegosaurus lot.

This is the first time an auction house has been so intimately involved with a dinosaur skeleton.

Cassandra stated:

“This sale has been years in the making, and at every turn, we have worked closely with Jason Cooper, from the moment of its discovery in Dinosaur, Colorado, to its sale in New York.  I am thrilled that such an important specimen has now taken its place in history, some 150 million years since it roamed the planet.  This remarkable result underscores our unwavering commitment to preserving these ancient treasures.”

Following the sale, the anonymous buyer is believed to have remarked:

“Apex was born in America and is going to stay in America!”

An Amazing Specimen

The fossil was preserved in hard sandstone and the black colour is typical of Morrison Formation specimens.  The fossils represent a fully-grown, robust adult and the fossilisation is described as “superb”, with little or no distortion.  Along with the skin impressions, fragile cervical plates and elements of the pebbly throat armour have been preserved.  Some fossil bones indicate the presence of arthritis.  This suggests “Apex” lived to an old age.  There are no signs of combat injuries or trauma on the bones.  In addition, there is no evidence of post-mortem scavenging by theropod dinosaurs.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that it was hoped that this remarkable Stegosaurus fossil skeleton would be made available to science for further study.

The spokesperson added:

“Commercial palaeontologists play an important role as they excavate specimens that could have been lost to science through erosion and weathering.  To excavate, clean and prepare such a remarkable specimen would have probably cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Whilst we understand the importance of financial gain in these situations, and we suspect a portion of the money will be reinvested in further field work and research, hopefully, this specimen will be made available to the scientific community for further analysis and study.”

Sotheby’s Natural History Auction

The auction featured numerous amazing fossil specimens as well as meteorites, minerals, gogottes and for the first time, Palaeolithic tools including tools made by Neanderthals.  The Neanderthal tools sold for $22,800 USD, much higher than the pre-auction estimate.  A large iridescent ammonite fetched an eye-watering $72,000 USD.

Other fossils in the auction included mass mortality trilobite fossils from Morocco, Megalodon otodus teeth, fossil eurypterids from New York and beautiful fossilised fish. The natural history themed auction also featured meteorites and rare minerals including a large lapiz lazuli tower from Afghanistan.

The auction also included numerous dinosaur fossils such as a Tyrannosaurus rex femur, two T. rex teeth and an Edmontosaurus (E. annectens) skull.

Lot 26 the Edmontosaurus skull with an estimated value of between $40,000 and $60,000 USD. Picture credit: Sotheby’s New York.

Picture credit: Sotheby’s New York

Auctions of fossils and other rare objects can be controversial.  For example, Everything Dinosaur has previously reported upon the seizure of a Tarbosaurus specimen after evidence emerged that it had been illegally smuggled out of Mongolia.

To read more about this: Tyrannosaur Skeleton Smuggled out of Mongolia.

Sadly, there is a lot of illegal fossil collecting taking place. Many of these specimens are sold on the black market and find their way into Europe and America.  However, the authorities in many countries are cracking down on this illegal trade and some perpetrators have been jailed.

Fossil dealer incarcerated: American Fossil Dealer is Jailed.

The spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“It is worrying to read of other rare items being offered for auction, particularly the Palaeolithic tools.  The large sums of money these lots are sold for could incentivise unscrupulous parties to exploit archaeological sites as well as fossil quarries.  Let us hope that sales such as this leads to closer regulation and greater co-operation between countries.”

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from Sotheby’s New York “The most valuable fossil ever sold at auction “apex” achieves $44.6m at Sotheby’s”.  This media release was available to download from the Sotheby’s New York website on 18th July 2024.

Researchers have identified a new species of early tetrapod from the Lower Permian of Germany. It is a plant-eater, and it has been named Diadectes dreigleichenensis.  The fossils originate from the Bromacker locality in central Germany.  The ancient creatures from the Bromacker locality lived approximately 290 million years ago.  The site is helping palaeontologists to better understand the evolution of herbivory in early vertebrate ecosystems.

Fossil skull material showing the teeth in the jaws and palatal teeth rows. A new species of advanced reptiliomorph has been named (Diadectes dreigleichenensis). Picture credit: Carola Radke, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

Picture credit: Carola Radke, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

Diadectes dreigleichenensis

The lower Permian Bromacker locality, situated in the UNESCO Global Geopark Thüringen Inselsberg – Drei Gleichen, central Germany, represents a unique inland fossil ecosystem that preserves a diverse early tetrapod fauna.  This palaeoenvironment is dominated by advanced reptiliomorphs, land animals that show a variety of amphibian as well as reptilian traits.  Lead author of the study, PhD student Jasper Ponstein (Museum für Naturkunde and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) explained that the research team examined skull and jaw material representing the Diadectomorpha.  The research has been published in the Royal Society Open Science.

The researchers used traditional examination techniques that involved carefully measuring the bones in the skull and jaws and comparing them to specimens in other collections.  In addition, CT scans were undertaken to reveal fine details obscured by matrix.  This research supports the identification of a third species of the group, representing a second species of the genus Diadectes, from Bromacker. This adds to the already diverse fauna of this herbivore-dominated ecosystem.

Since the 1990s palaeontologists have described fossil specimens belonging to the Diadectes genus from the Bromacker site. These specimens had all been assigned to a single species – Diadectes absitus.  Diadectes is a member of the Diadectidae family.  This family of reptilomorphs show both amphibian and amniote characteristics.  They evolved during the Early Carboniferous (Mississippian subperiod), and their fossils are known from America, Asia and Europe. These animals are typically, robust, heavily-built tetrapods.  They had strong, deep jawbones and molar-like teeth adapted to a diet of plants.

Diadectes dreigleichenensis fossil jawbone shown in lateral view. The jaw is robust, and the molar-like teeth are adapted for the efficient grinding of plant material. Picture credit: Carola Radke, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

Picture credit: Carola Radke, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

The Diadectomorpha include the earliest known herbivorous tetrapods, which evolved 305 million years ago in North America during the Late Carboniferous. Through the Late Carboniferous and much of the early Permian, herbivores remained a rare component of their respective ecosystem.

Abundant Early Herbivores

The Bromacker quarry is extremely significant.  It preserves evidence of the earliest ecosystem known in which herbivores were highly abundant.  Palaeontologists consider the Bromacker locality as the first modern ecosystem with a food chain that is recognisable today.  Herbivores make up the greatest proportion of vertebrates present.  In comparison, there are few secondary and apex predators.  The herbivore fossil record at this location includes numerous and exquisitely preserved skeletons of the diadectomorphs Diadectes absitus and Orobates pabsti, the pot-bellied caseid Martensius bromackerensis and the small agile lizard-like bolosaurid Eudibamus cursoris.

Jasper Ponstein outlined how the study was undertaken.  He stated:

“These skulls are preserved with the jaws firmly attached to the rest of the skull. Key features related to feeding, like the tooth row and the shape of the jaw joint, are obscured by the skull.  Through the CT-scans, we could actually reconstruct what these regions look like and compare the different specimens”.

The detailed study of the skull fossils revealed that diadectomorphs have a sinuous row of teeth on their lower jaws.  In addition, there are two rows of conical teeth located on the palate and a long blade-like process connected to the jaw joint.  The teeth in the lower jaw are widely spaced to maximise the available plant grinding surface. The blade-like process of the jaw joint probably played a role in helping to support the jaw whilst plant material was masticated. These adaptations allowed diadectomorphs to more effectively grind vegetation. Furthermore, the powerful CT images revealed a few replacement teeth within the palate. This suggests that diadectomorphs occasionally replaced their palatal teeth as well.

These observations enabled the research team to conclude that there was sufficient variation between the skulls to erect a new species – Diadectes dreigleichenensis.

Ponstein remarked:

“We named the species after UNESCO Global Geopark Thüringen Inselsberg – Drei Gleichen, which also contains the world-famous Bromacker locality. The species name is after Drei Gleichen, which means three of the same, in reference to the seemingly similar looking three diadectids from Bromacker, just like three iconic castles from the Middle Ages, each situated on a hilltop between Gotha and Erfurt within the Geopark.”

Co-author Professor Jörg Fröbisch (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) added:

“The ongoing Bromacker project is a prime example of an innovative and interdisciplinary research and science communication program, building on a multiple-decade-long international collaboration.”

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “A comprehensive phylogeny and revised taxonomy of Diadectomorpha with a discussion on the origin of tetrapod herbivory” by Ponstein, J., MacDougall, M.J., and Fröbisch, J. 2024 published in the Royal Society Open Science.

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