US EditionWyoming Dinosaur 'Mummies' Reveal a Surprise: Hoofed Feet, a First for Any Dinosaur
University of Chicago paleontologists discovered the first known reptile hooves on 66-million-year-old Edmontosaurus mummies preserved by drought and flood, study says.
- On October 23, a study in Science revealed two Edmontosaurus annectens mummies from Wyoming preserving external anatomy and hooves, a first for any dinosaur or reptile.
- A severe drought left carcasses of a herd of herbivorous dinosaurs about 66 million years ago, later flash-flooded and rapidly buried in Wyoming's 'mummy zone' within weeks, researchers conclude.
- A thin clay layer about one-hundredth of an inch thick was formed on a microbial biofilm, creating soft-tissue impressions studied via micro-CT scans and X-ray spectroscopy.
- Using clay templates and footprints, researchers reconstructed full profiles showing a continuous midline crest and spike row with pebbled skin and a reconstructed gait: quadrupedal slow, bipedal running.
- Study authors urged others to apply the methods described in the Science paper and plan Wyoming searches, as these mummies offer a "treasure trove of information," Stephanie Drumheller said.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Scientists Just Found ‘Dinosaur Mummies’ With the First-Ever Reptile Hooves
About 66 million years ago, a herd of duck-billed dinosaurs died waiting for rain during a drought. Their bodies baked in the heat, then vanished under a wave of mud and debris once the rain came, leaving behind some of the best-preserved “dinosaur mummies” ever found. We’re talking skin, spikes, and, somehow, even the hooves. The discovery comes from Wyoming’s so-called “mummy zone,” a ten-kilometer stretch of badlands known for exceptional fos…
Scientists Just Found 'Dinosaur Mummies' With the First-Ever Reptile Hooves
About 66 million years ago, a herd of duck-billed dinosaurs died waiting for rain during a drought. Their bodies baked in the heat, then vanished under a wave of mud and debris once the rain came, leaving behind some of the best-preserved “dinosaur mummies” ever found. We’re talking skin, spikes, and, somehow, even the hooves. The discovery comes from Wyoming’s so-called “mummy zone,” a ten-kilometer stretch of badlands known for exceptional fos…
Wyoming dinosaur 'mummies' reveal a surprise: Hoofed feet
Two fossilized “mummies” unearthed by scientists in the badlands of Wyoming of the duckbilled dinosaur Edmontosaurus reveal the external anatomy in exquisite detail, including the surprising presence of hooves on the feet — a first for any dinosaur
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