Journal

Notable sale: Camptosaurus sold to museum in the Middle East

Published 12/10/2022

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David Aaron is thrilled to announce the sale of one of the most remarkable paleontological discoveries of recent decades: a near-complete Camptosaurus skeleton. This magnificent specimen, was acquired by a prominent museum in the Middle East, ensuring its preservation and public display for generations to come. 
 
The specimen was the first complete dinosaur that David Aaron presented at an international art fair in the gallery’s history, displayed at Frieze Masters 2022, marking a new chapter in the business’s century long practice.  
 
The Camptosaurus, meaning ‘bent lizard’ referring to its flexible back, was a highly adaptable, medium-sized herbivore that roamed the lush landscapes of what is now western North America and Europe in the Late Jurassic period, 155–145 million years ago.  

Its large, strong hind legs suggest it was usually bipedal, however, it could revert to moving quadrupedally when necessary, using its fused wrist bones as support when moving slowly to feed on ferns, liverwort and other plant life, rather than as arms for grasping. Its beak-like front of skull was used to bite off tough vegetation, which it then ground up with its large back molars.  
 
Camptosaurus on display at Frieze Masters 2022. Image: Courtesy Frieze
Camptosaurus on display at Frieze Masters 2022. Image: Courtesy Frieze 

An exceptional specimen 

 
What makes this fossil particularly notable for the paleontological record is the completeness of the skeleton and the strong provenance that accompanies the fossil.  
 
Unrivalled completeness - The fossil boasts an exceptionally complete skeleton and one of the most complete skulls ever recorded for the genus Camptosaurus. Measuring 3.76 meters in length and weighing 220 kilograms, the sheer scale and preservation of the fossilised skeleton offer scientists and museum visitors alike an incredibly detailed look at the dinosaur’s anatomy. 
 
Impeccable provenance 
- This specimen was discovered in the Morrison Formation located in the fossil rich lands of Albany County, Wyoming in 1996. This individual has been meticulously documented, having been exhibited in The Gigantic Dinosaur Expo 2006, at the Makuhari Messe Convention Centre, Chiba City, Japan.

Further, the specimen is published in Kenneth Carpenter and Peter M. Galton’s Geology of the Inter-Mountain West, A Photo Documentation of Bipedal Ornithischian Dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Volume 5, 2018.  

David Aaron specialises in exhibiting prehistoric specimens of the highest quality and academic importance. Seeing this fossil find a home in an international museum serves to reinforce the gallery’s commitment to preserving the history of the natural world.