'Extraordinary' new specimen to be on display at NYC museum
NEW YORK (PIX11) – The largest and one of the most complete stegosaurus specimens ever found will soon go on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
“Apex,” a 150-million-year-old fossil, will be on display at the natural history museum on Manhattan’s Upper West Side starting on Sunday.
“The extraordinary specimen, which measures 11.5 feet tall and 27 feet long and is nearly 80 percent complete, will greet visitors just inside the entrance to the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation in the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium, as part of a special loan from Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst,” a press release from the American Museum of Natural History stated.
Scientists will also be able to study the fossil while it’s at the museum.
Commercial paleontologist Jason Cooper discovered Apex in May 2022 in the Morrison Formation outside of Dinosaur, Colorado.
Griffin purchased the stegosaurus specimen at a Sotheby’s auction this past July.
“Apex offers a unique window into our planet's distant past, and I’m so pleased to partner with the American Museum of Natural History to showcase it at one of our country’s preeminent scientific institutions. I am grateful that millions of visitors and researchers will now be able to see and learn from this magnificent specimen of the Late Jurassic Period,” Griffin said in a statement.
The stegosaurus fossil will remain on view at the museum for four years. It will then be replaced by a cast of the fossil.
Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.