![]() ![]() "But fortunately it preserves enough anatomy that we were able to compare it to other dinosaurs and be confident of its identification." ![]() "This fossil won't win a beauty contest," Sidor said. The fossil is from the Late Cretaceous period and is approximately 80 million years old.Īlthough incomplete, Sidor and Peecook were able to determine the femur is from a theropod dinosaur for two reasons: First, the hollow middle cavity of the bone (where marrow was present) is unique to theropods during this time period and second, a feature on the surface of the bone (the fourth trochanter) is prominent and positioned relatively close to the hip, which is a combination of traits known only in some theropods among dinosaurs. ![]() However, Sidor and Peecook compared the fossil to other museums' specimens and were able to calculate that the complete femur would have been over 3 feet long - slightly smaller than T. Because the fossil is incomplete, paleontologists aren't able to identify the exact family or species it belonged to. The fossil is 16.7 inches long and 8.7 inches wide. The fossil is a partial left femur of a theropod dinosaur, the group of two-legged, carnivorous dinosaurs that includes Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus rex and modern birds. Christian Sidor and University of Washington graduate student Brandon Peecook describes the find in the journal PLOS ONE. The researchers first noticed a small section of exposed bone on the surface of the rocks, then returned with a team of paleontologists to help excavate the fossil so it could be studied at the Burke Museum.Ī new study by Burke Museum Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology Dr. Burke Museum researchers discovered the fossil while collecting ammonite fossils (a creature with a spiral shell) from a marine rock unit known as the Cedar District Formation. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |