Dinosaur Will Be Coming Home

Jan 28, 05:37 PM

When it gets here, the duckbilled hadrosaur will put Bismarck in elite company.

The fossil, found near the southwestern North Dakota town of Marmarth in 1999, is one of the best-preserved dinosaur finds ever unearthed. Its skeleton is nearly complete, and skin impressions in the rock give scientists a great idea of what the creature looked like.

This Christmas, state paleontologist John Hoganson found out some additional good news. "Dakota," as the remains have been named, will be coming home. It will be displayed at the State Heritage Center. One other museum in the country has such a pristine dino fossil, he said: The American Natural History Museum in New York City.

"This is a big deal for us in North Dakota to have that fossil here,"Hoganson said. "It's such a rare and scientifically important specimen. We're really excited about it. To find one of these is incredibly rare. There's never been one in North Dakota before, and only a few have been found anywhere in the world."

"Dakota" was the subject of a December TVspecial on the National Geographic channel, and also is the focus of two new books.

In addition to the skeleton and skin, researchers discovered ligaments and tendons preserved in the fossil. That led to new discoveries that the duckbilled hadrosaur was quicker and stronger than previously thought. Scientists now believe the hadrosaur probably had the ability to outrun predators, such as the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The fossil was discovered in 1999 by a teenager named Tyler Lyson, who liked to poke around for fossils on the family ranch. Lyson is now pursuing a doctorate degree in paleontology at Yale University. He was home for Christmas, and Hoganson took that opportunity to bend his ear. Lyson, who owns the remains, agreed to let the Heritage Center display "Dakota."

The fossil comes in three huge, rock blocks, the largest section weighing about 4 tons. The entire body is about 30 feet long. It should arrive by truck from California on Friday. The exhibit will open in June, Hoganson said.

Only two of the blocks will be on display at a time, with the third getting worked on in the paleontology lab. The goal is to eventually remove all of the rock, leaving just the dinosaur's remains.

Hoganson said the Heritage Center will likely keep the fossil for at least three years. Lyson has expressed interest in opening a museum in Marmarth and moving "Dakota" down there, Hoganson said.

(Reach reporter Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tony.spilde@bismarcktribune.com.)

(c) 2008 Bismarck Tribune. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved. Dinosaur Will Be Coming Home
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