For over two years, paleontologists have been chipping away at Dakota, a rare mummified duck-billed dinosaur that remains encased in a "stone tomb," according to a Grand Forks Herald report.
The dinosaur, however, is nearly 75 percent removed, revealing what appears to be fossilized skin, ligaments, tendons and, scientists hope, some fossilized internal organs.
Dakota is an Edmontosaurus that lived 65 million years ago in what are now the North Dakota Badlands.
(An Edmontosaurus; Credit: Nobu Tamura)
So far, 1,000 pounds of rock have been removed from the dinosaur by scientists who are using tools that look like dental instruments.
“One thousand pounds, one gram at a time,” Ed Murphy, the state geologist, told the Grand Forks Herald. “It’s mind-numbing and hand-numbing work.”
Bottom teeth from an Edmontosaurus; Credit: Vince Williams, University of Leicester
Dakota along with its tomb weighed more than 4 tons before the chiseling project began. The workers also use small, air-powered jackhammers, which fill the room with buzzing sound.
Amy Sakariassen, an archaeologist who works on the dinosaur part-time, said she is happy if she can even successfully remove a coin-sized section of rock each day.
“Your mind can’t wander,” Sakariassen said of the process, which began after the specimen was unearthed in 2004. “You have to pay attention.”
No one knows how Dakota died, but the scientists think it was a juvenile that was 25 feet long and weighed 6 tons. Despite its heft, the researchers think this dinosaur could run 30 miles per hour, which was 5 mph faster than Tyrannosaurus rex.For related information, please check out the North Dakota Geological Survey and the North Dakota Heritage Center's Dakota exhibit.
Tags: Dinosaurs, Extinct Animals, Late Cretaceous Dinosaurs, Paleontology, Prehistoric Animals
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