Researchers have recently uncovered a spooky pair of dinosaur mummies that have been preserved in a uniquely unexpected manner. Unlike the famed wrapped mummies of Egypt or the natural mummies of humans found in bogs and deserts, these dinosaur remains possess distinct characteristics. The mummified dinosaurs are so ancient that their skin and soft tissues have fossilized, providing scientists with valuable remnants that, along with fossilized bones, help recreate the appearance of these ancient creatures.
For over a century, scientists have been discovering dinosaur mummies, each contributing to our understanding of these prehistoric animals. Mummies typically form when dinosaurs are buried rapidly after death, submerged in water, or desiccated. A notable example includes a duck-billed dinosaur mummy found in 1908, originating from a region in eastern Wyoming known as the "mummy zone." In a recent study, researchers revisited this intriguing area and made a significant find: the mummy of a juvenile duck-billed dinosaur that had only lived a few years before its untimely demise.
“This is the first juvenile of a dinosaur that really is mummified,” stated Paul Sereno, a paleontologist from the University of Chicago who participated in the discovery. What makes this find particularly surprising is that the new mummies show no signs of fossilized skin. Instead, they have left impressions of their skin and scales on a thin layer of clay that solidified with the assistance of microbes. This unique style of mummification has been previously observed in other organisms, but scientists had not anticipated its occurrence on land.
Sereno suggests that additional mummies found at the Wyoming site may have formed through a similar process. By utilizing these clay templates, scientists have been able to reconstruct a more vivid picture of what the duck-billed dinosaurs looked like during their lifetime, including details such as tail spikes and hoof-like feet. The new findings were published in the journal Science on Thursday, providing a fresh perspective on how dinosaur mummies are formed and what they can reveal about these ancient creatures.
Understanding the formation of dinosaur mummies can significantly aid scientists in uncovering more specimens in the future. It is crucial not only to search for dinosaur bones but also to look for impressions of skin and soft tissues, which could easily go unexamined or be inadvertently damaged, according to Mateusz Wosik, a paleontologist at Misericordia University who was not part of the discovery. Each mummified specimen provides a wealth of information about how these magnificent creatures grew and lived.
“Every single time we find one, there's such a treasure trove of information about these animals,” remarked Stephanie Drumheller, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who also did not participate in the study. The ongoing exploration of these unique dinosaur mummies continues to shed light on the mysteries of our planet's prehistoric past.
