Fossilised Dinosaur Skin

About the Item

Fossilised Skin of a Brachylophosaurus Approx. 80 Million y/o An exceptional specimen of fossilised dinosaur skin, preserving the hexagonal scales of a Brachylophosaurus (“short-crested lizard”). This unusual and fascinating duck-billed dinosaur is known for the distinctive flat, bony crest which sometimes covered its entire skull and gave it its name, and its mysteriously long arms. A herbivore that could grow up to 11 metres (36 feet), Brachylophosaurus roamed the Earth during the Late Cretaceous, about 81 to 76.7 million years ago. Virtually all dinosaur remains that have survived until the present day are bones or fragments of bones, making samples of soft tissue such as this not only exceedingly rare, but invaluable to the scientific community, providing us with unique insights into how these strange and magnificent creatures might once have looked. Hadrosaurs, a genus of large, duck-billed, herbivorous dinosaurs which includes Brachylophosaurus, appear to have left fossilised skin remains at a much greater frequency than other species - this reasons for this remain obscure to archeologists, but may be because of their hides, armour-plated with thick, strong scales to protect from predators, were more resistant to decay than those of other dinosaurs. This specimen, remarkably well preserved, was found in the Judith River Formation, a Late Cretaceous site in North Montana, known for yielding the first dinosaur remains discovered in North America, as well as for the impressive quality, and wide diversity, of the fossils that have been found there since. Height on stand: 19 cm (7.48 inches) Provenance: Discovered in late 2012 on a private land in northern Montana.

Dimensions:

Height: 7.49 in (19 cm)Width: 5.91 in (15 cm)Depth: 2.56 in (6.5 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Animal Skin,Stone

Place of Origin:

United States

Period:

15th Century and Earlier

Date of Manufacture:

Approx. 80 Million y/o

Condition:

Seller Location: