Xiphactinus project update

Yep, it's still ongoing.

We have assembled the skull, vertebrae and caudal fin into the mount, and stuck on the first layer of our fake matrix. We remove all matrix from the specimen and make our own for one very good reason: natural chalk is very soft, and is prone to breaking and cracking. It usually offers no meaningful support for the specimen, so it is better for us and the fossil to remove it completely and install our own.

Jacob hard at work filling gaps between vertebrae with epoxy putty

Next up on the docket is to lay out the sets of ribs and pectoral fins, and fasten them to the mount. That process should take about a week, so check back on the next update for progress!