Apex Opens a Window on an Aging Stegosaurus
At a Glance
- What
Apex, a Stegosaurus fossil
- When
- On view from December 2024
- Where
American Museum of Natural History, Manhattan
- Experience
A mounted skeleton and an accompanying research program.
- Coverage
- Explore coverage
- Details
- What to Know
TheNakedNYC coverage
TheNakedNYC documented the skeleton's scale, plates, limbs, tail, and public presentation.
The mounted fossil can be examined from multiple viewpoints inside the museum.
Photo Gallery
The complete mount reveals the animal's long tail, heavy limbs, and alternating back plates. TheNakedNYC
What to Know
The Scale of the Skeleton
Apex measures about 27 feet long and 11.5 feet high. Its 254 surviving bone elements, out of an estimated 320, give the mount an unusually substantial foundation of original material. Sculpting and 3D printing supplied missing elements.
A Colorado Discovery
Jason Cooper discovered the specimen in May 2022 near Dinosaur, Colorado, within the fossil-rich Morrison Formation. The rocks preserve an extensive record of Late Jurassic life.
From Auction to Public Display
Kenneth C. Griffin purchased Apex at Sotheby's in July 2024 and arranged a long-term museum loan. The agreement provides access for research as well as exhibition.
Evidence of Age
The animal reached a large size, and its bones show evidence of arthritis. Researchers can examine growth, injury, skeletal development, and variation within Stegosaurus without assuming that size alone settles its age or species.
Research and a Planned Move
A Griffin-funded postdoctoral fellowship supports work on bone tissue, growth, metabolism, and species identification, with scans and digital models intended for wider scientific use. In early 2025, the museum planned an autumn move to the fourth-floor connection between the Gilder Center and fossil halls. The museum's Apex page provides subsequent display information.
