Workforce from the Philip J. Currie Museum (Wembley, Alberta, Canada) have safely got rid of a large Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai fossil cranium from the Pipestone Creek Bonebed. The specimen nicknamed “Giant Sam” is estimated to weigh round 2 hundred and seventy kilograms (600 kilos). The well-known Pipestone Creek web page is among the densest dinosaur fossil deposits identified. The stays of loads of horned dinosaurs (P. lakustai) were excavated. Portions of the web page have round 300 particular person fossils in keeping with sq. metre. “Giant Sam” is the primary whole cranium to were discovered on the web page for greater than a decade,
“Giant Sam” the Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai cranium wrapped in plaster and burlap. Image credit score: Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum.
Image credit score: The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum
The Pipestone Creek Bonebed
The Pipestone Creek bonebed deposits represent a part of the Wapiti Formation. Those strata have been laid down right through the Overdue Cretaceous. This exceptional web page has yielded an outstanding fauna ruled by means of ample stays of the centrosaurine ceratopsian Pachyrhinosaurus. Alternatively, Lambeosaurus and Edmontosaurus at the side of ankylosaurs and theropods have additionally been recorded from the Wapiti Formation. The Pachyrhinosaurus cranium measures over a metre in period. It is among the biggest ceratopsid skulls to were present in northern Alberta.
Digging away on the underlying sediment to arrange “Giant Sam” for flipping previous to extraction. Image credit score: Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum.
Image credit score: The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum
The fossil cranium is preserved upside-down and with its head frill nonetheless connected, a preservation match that has now not prior to now been documented. A box workforce from the Phillip J. Currie Museum have spent the final two summers meticulously mapping, excavating and jacketing the cranium in a position for transporting clear of the quarry.
Analyzing the bottom of the Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai cranium jacket as “Giant Sam” is ready for delivery. Image credit score: Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum.
Image credit score: The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum
Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai
Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai is one in every of 3 Pachyrhinosaurus species which have been named. It’s the geologically oldest species, having lived round 73 million years in the past (Campanian degree of the Overdue Cretaceous). This species used to be officially named and described in 2008 (Currie, Langston and Tanke).
Pachyrhinosaurus used to be a smaller, older cousin of the Triceratops, with a large, bony protrusion on its nostril as a substitute of a nostril horn.
The Haolonggood Pachyrhinosaurus dinosaur fashion (LvFang) photographed within the studio. Image credit score: The entirety Dinosaur.
Image credit score: The entirety Dinosaur
Dr Emily Bamforth, the curator on the Philip J. Currie Museum commented in an e-mail despatched to The entirety Dinosaur:
“We have been very excited to in the end have ‘Giant Sam’, the cranium of a Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai we lately acquire from the Pipestone Creek Bonebed, secure in our lab! I spotted that you simply do lift two fashions of P. lakustai, which is superior. We if truth be told use the Haolonggood Pachyrhinosaurus and Edmontosaurus for our outreach and training programmes right here.”
To view the variability of Haolonggood prehistoric animal figures in inventory: Haolonggood Dinosaur Fashions.
Extracting the Fossil Cranium
As soon as the 300 or so different bones were sparsely got rid of from the encircling space, the Museum workforce started the method of turning the jacketed fossil over and securing it in a position for its adventure clear of the dig web page.
“Giant Sam” is punctiliously winched onto a trolley for delivery clear of the quarry. Image credit score: Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum.
Image credit score: The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum
The massive block used to be slowly however definitely winched up onto a trolley in order that body of workers and volunteers may just take this essential fossil discovery to the preparation laboratory on the museum. Laboratory technicians will then start the exhausting means of disposing of the fossil bones from the matrix permitting “Giant Sam” to be noticed in its glory.
Staff individuals sparsely escort the Pachyrhinosaurus cranium fossil clear of the quarry. The fossil will spend many months within the preparation lab being wiped clean and ready. Image credit score: Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum.
Image credit score: The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum
Participants of the general public can discuss with and notice the cranium present process cleansing and preparation. The target is to sooner or later put this exceptional fossil specimen on show.
The entirety Dinosaur recognizes the help of a media unlock from the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum within the compilation of this newsletter.