Stegosaurus walked on four legs and lived in North America around 150-million years ago during the Jurassic Period. Its fossils were first discovered in the 1870s.
“Though it was a herbivore, Stegosaurus wasn't like a cow or a sheep,” Benson said.
“It's a herbivore that could look after itself. It has wicked spikes on its tail. It has plates along its back.”
These would have been useful as protection against meat-eating dinosaurs such as Allosaurus.
The Stegosaurus fossil was found in Colorado and fetched a record $44.6m (R804m) at a Sotheby's auction in July. The buyer has loaned it to the New York museum, one of the leading natural history museums in the US.
Benson said: “Everyone has their own favourite dinosaur, but Stegosaurus is up there in the top five. It's hard not to get excited about a complete, large individual of the animal.”
Reuters
New York museum unveils ‘Apex’, an almost complete Stegosaurus
Image: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
The American Museum of Natural History revealed the identity of its latest resident on Thursday, “Apex,” one of the most complete specimens ever discovered of the plant-eating dinosaur Stegosaurus, known for the upright plates on its back and a spiky tail.
To excited gasps from an audience of schoolchildren, the museum pulled back a curtain to reveal the 3.4m tall, 6m long skeleton of the Jurassic Period dinosaur.
“People are excited about this fossil because Stegosaurus is an iconic dinosaur,” said the museum's dinosaur curator Roger Benson.
Stegosaurus walked on four legs and lived in North America around 150-million years ago during the Jurassic Period. Its fossils were first discovered in the 1870s.
“Though it was a herbivore, Stegosaurus wasn't like a cow or a sheep,” Benson said.
“It's a herbivore that could look after itself. It has wicked spikes on its tail. It has plates along its back.”
These would have been useful as protection against meat-eating dinosaurs such as Allosaurus.
The Stegosaurus fossil was found in Colorado and fetched a record $44.6m (R804m) at a Sotheby's auction in July. The buyer has loaned it to the New York museum, one of the leading natural history museums in the US.
Benson said: “Everyone has their own favourite dinosaur, but Stegosaurus is up there in the top five. It's hard not to get excited about a complete, large individual of the animal.”
Reuters
Image: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Image: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Image: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Image: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Image: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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