- The only complete dinosaur skeleton discovered so far had been sitting in storage for 160 years before it became noticeable.
- Over the past three years, researchers have looked at the skeleton together and learned a lot about its history.
- The animal, a Scelidosaurus, was closely related to Ankylosaurus.
Over the centuries, researchers have found many, many dinosaur fossils. We’ve learned about the hundreds of species that existed millions and millions of years ago thanks to those fossilized bones … but how many complete dinosaur skeletons can you guess? Hundred? Maybe a thousand? more?
Believe it or not, the overwhelming majority of skeletons found are incomplete in one way or another. Scientists have to piece together parts from different samples to get a complete picture of what dinosaurs looked like. And when it comes to perfecting dinosaur skeletons, there is just one. Yes, one.
The dinosaur, which is a scaledosaurus, is not completely new. In fact, it has been over a century and a half since it first opened on the southern coast of England. It was discovered in an area now known for its incredible age, with rocks around 200 million years old.
When it was first discovered, it was sent to the British Museum under the care of a man named Richard Owen. As the University of Cambridge explains, Owen wrote some papers about the skeleton and left it at that. He did not attempt to piece it together or study further and moved on to what was ahead.
“Over the past three years, Dr. David Norman of Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences has been working to finish what Owen had started, creating a detailed description and biological analysis of the skeleton of Scalidosaurus, Whose origin is stored on natural. History Museum in London, Bristol City Museum and Sedwick Museum, Cambridge among other specimens, “the university says in a press release.
With additional research done over the years, we now know that the animal was related to Ankylosaurus, covered in thick bony armor and sported clubbed tails. Additionally, the skeleton is being assembled for the first time as a result of the new effort, as it was uncovered.
Dr. of Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences David Norman said in a statement, “It is unfortunate that such an important dinosaur discovered at such a critical time in early studies of dinosaurs was never properly described.” “It is now – finally! – described in detail and offers many new and unexpected insights concerning the biology of early dinosaurs and their underlying relationships. It is a shame that the work was not done before, But as they say, better late than never. ”
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