[title]
At this point, you’d think that humans have found everything there is to find on the face of the earth. But when the American Museum of Natural History sent an email announcing that they would unveil a “major new specimen” that was sure to “fuel significant research and spark the public imagination,” I was understandably hooked.
On the subway ride to the museum this morning, I made a mental list of my guesses about what the specimen could be: a taxidermy Moo Deng, material evidence of Atlantis, an alien corpse. When I arrived at the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, there was an air of anticipation. I passed through a set of metal detectors and stood awkwardly beside a small crowd of influencers, journalists, and TV cameras fixed on a podium and a cream colored curtain, behind which I gathered the specimen sat waiting. Then, just after 10am, a gaggle of children from a local school were herded to the front, and Sean M. Decatur, the sitting president of the museum, began a countdown, Times Square Ball Drop style.
RECOMMENDED: Christmas in New York: 61 best things to do for a magical time this holiday season
The specimen was unveiled: The kids hollered and clapped. In front of us was Apex, a massive Stegosaurus fossil. This particular specimen was 150 million years old and thought to be the largest and one of the most complete Stegosaurus fossils ever found at a staggering 11.5 feet tall, 27 feet long and nearly 80% complete—almost unheard of in the paleontology world.
Apex was discovered in May 2022 by paleontologist Jason Cooper in the Morrison Formation outside of Dinosaur, Colorado (yes, that's a real place) and approximately 254 out of 320 of its dinosaur parts were found, while the missing ones were 3D-printed and sculpted.
“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,” said Kenneth C. Griffin, who loaned the fossil to the museum. “The joy and awe every child feels coloring a Stegosaurus with their crayons will now be brought to life for the millions of people who have the opportunity to see this epic dinosaur in person.”
Apex will be on display at the museum starting this Sunday, December 8, at the alcove at the right of the entrance to the Gilder Center. Then, next Fall, Apex will be relocated to the museum's fourth floor, where it will be the first specimen visitors will see when they enter the famed fossils hall. This iteration of the fossil will only be on display at the museum for a total of four years, before a replica of it replaces it.
My suggestion is that if you or someone you love knows a lot about dinosaurs, make time to bring them to see Apex. I imagine it’s the equivalent of taking someone who loves Caesar salad to the Times Square Olive Garden. And although my dinosaur knowledge ends around the fifth grade, when my fixation with dinosaurs was replaced with a love for Greek mythology, it was still an incredible sight to behold, albeit one that I had enough of after a couple of laps around the thing.