| fossilshk | 2016-8-23 10:46 PM |
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T-rex fossil found in Montana with complete skull
A team of Burke Museum paleontologists discovered a Tyrannosaurus rex! So far about 20% of a full skeleton has been excavated, including a very complete skull plus teeth, ribs, vertebrae, hips, and lower jaw bones. There’s likely more to discover!
The 66.3-million-year-old T. rex was discovered in the Hell Creek Formation in northern Montana—an area that is world-famous for its fossil dinosaur sites. With permits to research and collect on federal land, the team of more than 45 people, led by Burke Museum Adjunct Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology and University of Washington associate biology professor Dr. Greg Wilson, helped excavate the T. rex over the course of a month this summer.
Several feet away from the ribs, the team came across an incredible find—a skull! As they chipped away the surrounding sandstone, they could see fossilized bone emerging with a keyhole-shaped opening, that was unmistakably the back (squamosal bone) of a T. rex skull.
That’s when all of the pieces fell into place (so to speak). The team had indeed discovered a T. rex!
“The combination of the skull features, the size of the bones, and the honeycomb-like appearance of the bones tell us this is a T. rex,” said Wilson. “This was a very exciting moment for us.”
On display through September
The public can see the T. rex skull in its plaster field jacket, along with other T. rex fossils and paleontology field tools, in a lobby display at the Burke Museum, Saturday, August 20 – Sunday, October 2, 2016. Special T. rex-themed activities will take place over Labor Day Weekend and on Sunday, September 25.
After removing the fossil from display, the Burke’s paleontology team will begin preparing the fossil (removing the rock surrounding the bone), which may take a year or more.
The museum plans to display the T. rex skull in the New Burke Museum when it opens in 2019.
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Burke Museum paleontologists remove rock surrounding the ribs of a T. rex.
Photo: Larry Mose / Burke Museum
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The back (squamosal bone) of a T. rex skull discovered by Burke Museum paleontologists in Montana.
Photo: Larry Mose / Burke Museum
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T. rex ribs in a plaster field jacket (left) and the skull block ready for plaster (right).
Photo: Dave DeMar / Burke Museum |
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| WoW,I like Tyrannosaurus rex |
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