Remains of dinosaur ‘mummies’ found 100 years ago in Wyoming still have skin and hooves, researchers say
‘Stunningly preserved’ dinosaur fossils reveal most complete large dinosaur to date
- Remains of two Edmontosaurus Annectens dinosaur “mummies”, discovered in Wyoming over a century ago, have been found to have remarkably preserved skin, spikes and hooves.
- Paleontologists at the University of Chicago re-examined the fossils, originally unearthed in 1908, revealing that a thin layer of clay had preserved the mummified body parts.
- The preservation of soft tissue, which is rarely found in fossils, offers the most complete view of a large dinosaur to date, including a fleshy crest, spike rows and hooves.
- Researchers determined that a thin clay template formed on the surface of the buried carcasses during decay, allowing for this exceptional preservation.
- The specimens include a 20-foot-long late juvenile, the first subadult dinosaur mummy on record, and a 40-foot-long adult, the first hadrosaurid to preserve an entire spike row and wedge-shaped pedal hooves.