The previous auction record of $31.8 million for a dinosaur skeleton was set in 2020 for a Tyrannosaurus Rex nicknamed "Stan".
The largest stegosaurus skeleton ever found, dubbed Apex, has sold for a record $44.6 million at an auction in New York, Sotheby's said.
Apex is believed to be 150 million years old and, according to the auction house, is "among the most complete skeletons ever found", AFP reported.
It is 11 feet (3.3 m) high and 27 feet long and has 254 fossil bone elements out of an estimated 319.
The previous auction record of $31.8 million for a dinosaur skeleton was set in 2020 for a Tyrannosaurus Rex nicknamed "Stan".
Sotheby's had expected the Apex to fetch between $4 million and $6 million, but the price quickly rose as telephone bidders flooded the room, prompting cheers and applause in the auction room.
After the record sale, the auctioneer asked his colleague Cassandra Hatton, global head of science at Sotheby's: "Do you need a cigarette?"
Apex was discovered in May 2022 on the private land of paleontologist Jason Cooper. The auction house says it has collaborated with Cooper to "document the entire process - from discovery and excavation to restoration, preparation and installation" to ensure "the highest standards and transparency".
In 2022, auction house Christie's had to withdraw a T-rex skeleton a few days before the Hong Kong auction due to doubts about its authenticity.
Wednesday's auction follows a growing trend of selling dinosaur remains.
Stegosaurus skeletons are already on display around the world, but according to Sotheby's Apex is 30 percent larger than Sophie, the most complete stegosaurus ever on public display, which is at the Natural History Museum in London. | BGNES
