December 19, 2024
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The most expensive dinosaur fossil ever revealed Stegosaurus The secrets
the giant Stegosaurus The Apex fossil, bought at auction for $44.6 million, has debuted on loan at the American Museum of Natural History.
A new stegosaurus fossil named Apex, which was purchased by billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin while it is on loan for the next four years, is displayed at the American Museum of Natural History on Dec. 5, 2024, in New York.
My first visit to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) was full of media cameras, plenty of press badges, and little intrigue. We were all invited to witness the presentation something. The museum made it clear that we could expect to see a spectacular specimen that would “match the level of favorites from the story” such as the spectacular and beloved Sue. Tyrannosaurus Rex specimen in the Field Museum of Chicago.
Suffice it to say, AMNH delivered. After a countdown from the school children at the front of the crowd, the curtains were drawn to reveal one of the largest and most complete Apex. Stegosaurus fossils yet discovered. Last July, the fossil was bought for a record 44.6 million dollars – the most expensive ever sold at auction. According to the AP-and today the museum has a long-term loan.
Apex Stegosaurus on display at the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History.
Alvaro Keding and Daniel Kim/© AMNH
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Apex (aptly named for its size) is 11.5 meters high and 27 meters long, and died about 150 million years ago, its heyday. Stegosaurus in terms of species diversity and population density. A large amount of Apex’s skeleton—about 80 percent—was recovered, and compared to others. Stegosaurus specimens with similar amounts of bone material, the fossilization process of this specimen preserved its three-dimensional features very well. “The most important thing to me is that these bones come from all the major regions of the skeleton, so we’re not missing important parts of this animal,” says Roger Benson, Macaulay Head of Paleontology and Head of Amphibian Fossils. , reptiles and bird and plant fossils at AMNH. Apex’s completeness and size may give scientists a crucial opportunity to answer some outstanding fundamental questions.
For example, researchers still aren’t sure what the iconic, massive backplates are Stegosaurus Paul Barrett, a paleontologist and dinosaur specialist at the Natural History Museum in London, explained that they were good. Were they used for thermoregulation or defense? And if the latter, how effective were they in resisting the attacks? With so many well-preserved skeletons to work with, scientists will find more clues about functionality.
Apex’s integrity allows it to be used for virtual modeling to study how this animal moved compared to smaller specimens, showing how locomotion trajectories changed as the animal matured. “Apex adds another important point of comparison for everyone else Stegosaurus The footprints we already know about, and it’s especially important because it’s near the top end of the size range,” Barrett explained.
Apex Stegosaurus on display at the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History.
Alvaro Keding and Daniel Kim/© AMNH
Apex’s large size suggests that this dinosaur specimen died relatively young, which would be rare. “Dinosaurs lived a kind of rock-star lifestyle where they lived fast and died young,” says Barrett, and the paucity of fully mature specimens leaves a big gap in how and when these animals reached full maturity.
Benson and Barrett describe two ways to determine the biological age of a fossil. First, vertebrates tend to be born with more bones than they die because some eventually fuse together. Human skulls are a prime example, consisting of five large bones that fuse into a single structure after birth. At Apex, Benson explains, “every vertebra fuses, and that’s one of the really clear signs of aging.”
Second, like tree rings, bone growth patterns can indicate fast and slow growth and general age. By examining bone samples from smaller, younger specimens and older specimens such as Apex, it is possible to build a model of when and how quickly. Stegosaurus He grew up in different periods of his life. This can provide valuable information about its overall metabolism and the duration of various life stages.
