tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74099342612246240442024-03-08T03:34:15.342-08:00RMDRC paleo labWhat's going on in the RMDRC's back roomMaltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-20452900247065647362023-10-30T15:06:00.000-07:002023-10-30T15:06:39.819-07:00Walhalla's Sea Snake: Welcome Jormungandr!<p>Believe it or not, I don't spend all of my time in the field (though it still does tend to be A LOT). In the winter and spring I have time to work on some fossils we find during the year, as well as work on projects for other museums. This past spring, Dr. Clint Boyd approached us about restoring a brand new mosasaur that he and a crew were describing from northeastern North Dakota. He called the critter "Eustace", nicknamed after the BEST character from the Cartoon Network classic "Courage the Cowardly Dog".</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyrFIc-W9M7FnuHYEKRMoYmW0zwJIrxDqhvA8sz4SQdG8D-HKqYL2lWCOnFeSstmcLqUFu8i8BBGguuctb46NuuSajVgwdrzBD6gDGHMtE6g2wixrC2f7oXjtgwuhop4MPZC1MrBxEv4bLtomikPTAb5Tvc6UaVMGMT9T7KPAoQRk0Wnma1pYPlMoAiSB/s3840/fc9a5fc38e8b166806b13c147dcca0b58a3f77ec7f5c1d37a90ffa487a09c248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyrFIc-W9M7FnuHYEKRMoYmW0zwJIrxDqhvA8sz4SQdG8D-HKqYL2lWCOnFeSstmcLqUFu8i8BBGguuctb46NuuSajVgwdrzBD6gDGHMtE6g2wixrC2f7oXjtgwuhop4MPZC1MrBxEv4bLtomikPTAb5Tvc6UaVMGMT9T7KPAoQRk0Wnma1pYPlMoAiSB/s320/fc9a5fc38e8b166806b13c147dcca0b58a3f77ec7f5c1d37a90ffa487a09c248.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eustace is famous for various disagreements</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The specimen was found in the Pembina member of the Pierre Shale and an underlying bentonite was dated to 80 million years old. This is pretty similar in age to our "Walker" <i>Mosasaurus </i>specimen that we excavated from Western Kansas in 2015. I suspected we were in for a very fun project, and something that we at TPI are very capable of doing well.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp4TZpuMsHVJu9IYFhyRwznHrxKZgi-L29rWUZabsz9FQACFXiW7pta-yEDh5doOptgl0epuQINAyd9s_FPQzUY1a32UpVm5tkpEFRi834C56ceZU7-Pk_dSm8QsL1q8-nvzZAC4QH-UHj-dv0hoCXgVAjzZSzUTf-k7QqeBaQncTTi0Gl11CZ_6WesT1/s6000/White%20Walker%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp4TZpuMsHVJu9IYFhyRwznHrxKZgi-L29rWUZabsz9FQACFXiW7pta-yEDh5doOptgl0epuQINAyd9s_FPQzUY1a32UpVm5tkpEFRi834C56ceZU7-Pk_dSm8QsL1q8-nvzZAC4QH-UHj-dv0hoCXgVAjzZSzUTf-k7QqeBaQncTTi0Gl11CZ_6WesT1/s320/White%20Walker%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walker's reconstructed skeleton</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The first step was getting the scan files of the specimen sent over and opened up in the computer. The specimen was fairly complete but missing a few bones. Evan Sonnenberg and I teamed up to reassemble the parts, and remove some of the distortion to make the individual elements fit back together like before they were crushed by 80 million years of rock and geologic processes. Some elements were completed using mirror images of bones from the opposite side of the skull in order to keep Eustace as Eustace as possible. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ21ADpkod1QBLwVv6gxkBLSPLdspIFKeePxAqiK9KiJJhEpEMd8gi0FQlv6Mj-VtdikTO_vze3wyErE2ak-ybKBfvFfePSvRr2Ap1NuFEZ1t1jKewdgU9rkCCZYiikxvAc7mIgtw4hEv_hjeFK1lrbb7WTYC5p3eSKvhEXq9GLztSgd4HEICLeddaZ2Mn/s1006/Eustace.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="1006" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ21ADpkod1QBLwVv6gxkBLSPLdspIFKeePxAqiK9KiJJhEpEMd8gi0FQlv6Mj-VtdikTO_vze3wyErE2ak-ybKBfvFfePSvRr2Ap1NuFEZ1t1jKewdgU9rkCCZYiikxvAc7mIgtw4hEv_hjeFK1lrbb7WTYC5p3eSKvhEXq9GLztSgd4HEICLeddaZ2Mn/s320/Eustace.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eustace's skull (right) and after restoration (left)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Once that part was completed, we used mosasaur specimens from our digital bone bank to come up with plausible shapes for the bones that were completely missing. When working on the parietal/braincase, lead author Amelia Zietlow kept urging us to make it more <i>Clidastes</i>-ey in overall appearance. <a href="https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/items/13b0485f-c73f-47f9-8d1d-0d4ab6aaedfb" target="_blank">And indeed, the paper that came out today does make a case for the new mosasaur being very closely related to <i>Clidastes</i>. </a>Amelia and crew decided to name the specimen<i> Jormungander walhallensis</i>, which is a pretty clever name. The species name indicated it came from near Walhalla, ND, while the genus name plays off of the Norse mythology of the place name, with the name shared with the legendary snake that ends the world in the sagas. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwEX3uwvQS6alMzPdFml4GHwJ0xJJTVFMB_9Loc9XKm-_0yKpRAHb6OQRnoyNPqCrpLCZrtUmy0xKiBkaSasA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p>Once all the parts were there, we printed out two copies of the skull at full size so that they could go on display in museums in North Dakota. While not a huge mosasaur like the Bunker <i>Tylosaurus</i>, the skulls still had to be printed in pieces that were later assembled.</p><br /><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG9Dl7FbUPYsixkB1qZhkvwu_aWYXNK9ieLmDimCYPviYaWWWsDyrd92sgNs-kiHw9K7X6xAFRRBJmvcAGTjzXfVj2Y0nVsr0Y-QJ_K8k-ZbPEYe6unWcMNFrbXqyzv2eHDGHh6SFMjRIdyv9iofP6uZKrl542Np4nuyaOwoNXLl0Q5tyEcxOmzWVpZm_/s2048/oFxB-9Ei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG9Dl7FbUPYsixkB1qZhkvwu_aWYXNK9ieLmDimCYPviYaWWWsDyrd92sgNs-kiHw9K7X6xAFRRBJmvcAGTjzXfVj2Y0nVsr0Y-QJ_K8k-ZbPEYe6unWcMNFrbXqyzv2eHDGHh6SFMjRIdyv9iofP6uZKrl542Np4nuyaOwoNXLl0Q5tyEcxOmzWVpZm_/s320/oFxB-9Ei.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parts for the top of the skull</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGweRmDQ_sQcAe6Qw0zZfrWsP8K27dTtiK3qk06Kj1Mo1Np7Y2cJcgmR7A6TtleKTL733_LsZ2J7nwK0Hhk89F7scYeG-jcesxQzhtaks3NCJzbHlTCH0N8ayQkkGRNk6decMMilQu-n9PI6dzL3_R7ZnGWcsnqpUk8OBlnW17OlUR3_sYR_4sm0dXjAyN/s2048/IopOsGc6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGweRmDQ_sQcAe6Qw0zZfrWsP8K27dTtiK3qk06Kj1Mo1Np7Y2cJcgmR7A6TtleKTL733_LsZ2J7nwK0Hhk89F7scYeG-jcesxQzhtaks3NCJzbHlTCH0N8ayQkkGRNk6decMMilQu-n9PI6dzL3_R7ZnGWcsnqpUk8OBlnW17OlUR3_sYR_4sm0dXjAyN/s320/IopOsGc6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of skull assembled</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Easy enough! Lastly the specimens needed to be painted mounted. There's an external steel armature under the skull and each lower jaw on the copies so that the parts can be removed for closer inspection. One Easter egg that we included in the mount was that each base is a silhouette of Eustace's skull as seen from above. BTW the mini skulls were sent to the authors so they could evaluate it while finishing the manuscript.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6lrzCpdxLgiUG0kFLLC865cDs8BJLLTz-CwcH3lpQG4LWXRepJJ9Q4kCKsW4xal6x8UPd69IJOHz4S6auLvnLO2KCYPgCtZd4tHuphf1mLvhyeoOhsO2hyAPO6EiyFsbfFKc0XKTY_VxU5m34d-RiABQDGSSOmgT0QfC28cKE5DfoTObnAHQ6a4kphLr/s4032/20230524_090125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6lrzCpdxLgiUG0kFLLC865cDs8BJLLTz-CwcH3lpQG4LWXRepJJ9Q4kCKsW4xal6x8UPd69IJOHz4S6auLvnLO2KCYPgCtZd4tHuphf1mLvhyeoOhsO2hyAPO6EiyFsbfFKc0XKTY_VxU5m34d-RiABQDGSSOmgT0QfC28cKE5DfoTObnAHQ6a4kphLr/s320/20230524_090125.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>The two reproductions were sent to North Dakota this June. One is on display at the Walhalla Library, which is nice having it on display so close to where the original specimen was discovered. The second is due to go on display at the Pembina State Museum in the near future.</p>Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-89974082038289356502021-04-02T11:06:00.021-07:002021-04-09T08:44:17.417-07:00Come find and prepare fossils for TPI<p><span style="font-family: arial;">We are hiring a preparator to help me and our crew in the lab and the field!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_3xlajIAPUVHvUfoxoX7e8LTiZNEaCCWfJXiT8dBebzotR9itIqebD5u6D7jnecXeBMjK-i4cuAgfu6aDjkZ78OpinmtKHT_1Kg09yIemZgqRR6gMiewc4JoeIOhI-l4x65hU4gIDCJt/s2048/100_0621.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_3xlajIAPUVHvUfoxoX7e8LTiZNEaCCWfJXiT8dBebzotR9itIqebD5u6D7jnecXeBMjK-i4cuAgfu6aDjkZ78OpinmtKHT_1Kg09yIemZgqRR6gMiewc4JoeIOhI-l4x65hU4gIDCJt/s320/100_0621.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Preparator and Field Collector</span></p><p><b id="docs-internal-guid-a638ad47-7fff-470e-0c48-b2e3787f4aae" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Triebold Paleontology Inc. is searching for a dependable full time preparator and field</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">collections </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">technician to join our team. The position will be based out of the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Center in Woodland Park, Colorado (15 miles west </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of Colorado Springs). </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Field localities require up to 2 </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">weeks at a time of field/travel time and </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">are located in Kansas, Montana and South Dakota. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Our specimens primarily focus on marine </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">and terrestrial late Cretaceous animals. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Compensation depends on experience, qualifications </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">and skills.</span></p><p><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Required qualifications:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Excellent written and verbal communication skills, organizational skills and attention to detail</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Basic anatomical knowledge of tetrapods</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Use and maintenance of a variety of air scribes, glues, consolidants, and hand tools for </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">preparation </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">and collection</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Valid Colorado driver's license or the ability to procure one</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Knowledge and experience of current best practices and techniques in collection and </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">documentation </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">of fossil specimens</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Ability to safely conduct field work for extended periods of time in remote or primitive locations</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Ability to lift and carry heavy (at least 50 pound) objects, equipment and supplies.</span></p><p><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Preferred qualifications:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Knowledge of operation and maintenance of COMCO brand (Microblaster and Accuflo) air</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">abrasion </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">units</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Molding and casting experience</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">2D and 3D digitization experience</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Experience using heavier equipment in field work (jackhammers, Bobcat, mini excavators)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Experience constructing well-made archival jackets and housings</span></p><p><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This position is intended to be full time, permanent, with the candidate beginning work at our </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Colorado </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">facility as soon as feasible. If you are interested in applying for this position please </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">provide the following </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">3 items via email to Anthony Maltese at </span><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="mailto:anthony@rmdrc.com" style="text-decoration-line: none;">anthony@rmdrc.co</a>m </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">No phone calls please. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">At this time candidates from outside the US or that lack permission to work in the US </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">cannot be considered.</span></p><p><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1: Cover letter briefly describing your qualifications, experience and interest</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">2: Resume or CV with 3 professional references</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">3: A brief portfolio document (PDF or similar format) visually showing past projects that </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">demonstrate </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">experience and quality of work.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Compensation:</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Starting at $13-16/hr plus overtime when needed</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">retirement plan after 2 years</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">paid vacation after first year</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Per diem for days spent away from home in field</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The deadline for applications is April 21</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp7WQNYiYB6Yw9d0LKXGsYH36mAt9fasODsVSl-ZHPqprm9-mtXsA5Q6kkcISFjdDhQKMs9GgwUb-26WCF59trnxpxBFtZZh8R3voes_sC9NTj_MbJJ8wNqeCqZ3KSk5CV6cKH9iKKnBC/s2048/DSCF0130.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp7WQNYiYB6Yw9d0LKXGsYH36mAt9fasODsVSl-ZHPqprm9-mtXsA5Q6kkcISFjdDhQKMs9GgwUb-26WCF59trnxpxBFtZZh8R3voes_sC9NTj_MbJJ8wNqeCqZ3KSk5CV6cKH9iKKnBC/s320/DSCF0130.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span><p></p>Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-60563924118198817482020-12-28T13:15:00.000-08:002020-12-28T13:15:07.218-08:00Ashley: The cannibal Xiphactinus<p> If you're following me on the twitters I'm sure you all know about my absolute and undying love for the giant ugly predatory fish from Kansas, <i>Xiphactinus audax</i>. We spend a lot of time in normal years in Kansas during the spring and fall (when the weather and bugs aren't too miserable) and we tend to find a good number of at least partial skeletons, some exceeding 18 feet in length.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GGoQJPfzRbZ0zIIU8eFkQ0Tj2WKAC29e7B6F81PBHW7CrleLdPvlG4emJvl1PmUyNrDCiiCG1gm4tLkyDDIkCSPu7RPR_76DjZkdFxXDoPdAwtfbzGSdsptNiFHXVWdROImFDBM68KI9/s2048/kansas+2011+oct+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GGoQJPfzRbZ0zIIU8eFkQ0Tj2WKAC29e7B6F81PBHW7CrleLdPvlG4emJvl1PmUyNrDCiiCG1gm4tLkyDDIkCSPu7RPR_76DjZkdFxXDoPdAwtfbzGSdsptNiFHXVWdROImFDBM68KI9/w389-h292/kansas+2011+oct+009.JPG" width="389" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random <i>Xiphactinus </i>verts in the wild</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />It's easy to think of them as just another boring fossil, as if they were the hadrosaurs of the ocean, but every once in a while something about them makes them interesting.Sometimes because they are found inside something interesting, other times because something interesting is found in them.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVcMPLnehN4Gm5sbfRkaFpCIqs503gFM20imCqqE9vg-KJiSYtYNY30KQKM93XAFkj57l_gMCKZzKJ_vqpih-aJZ00hDscZdRXpOJiZaDfD5qdW6qRZSFN6bsWDR_suKtf6m9QeWyS6E1/s2048/20191125_121205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVcMPLnehN4Gm5sbfRkaFpCIqs503gFM20imCqqE9vg-KJiSYtYNY30KQKM93XAFkj57l_gMCKZzKJ_vqpih-aJZ00hDscZdRXpOJiZaDfD5qdW6qRZSFN6bsWDR_suKtf6m9QeWyS6E1/w514-h289/20191125_121205.jpg" width="514" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Xiphactinus </i>as stomach contents of a large shark, <i>Cretoxyrhina</i><br />Photo taken at University of Kansas Natural History Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><p><i>Xiphactinus </i>is well know for its gluttony. The famous "Fish Within a Fish" at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, where a 13 foot long <i>Xiphactinus </i>semi-successfully ingested a nearly 6 foot long <i>Gillicus </i>is a prime example of this. I claim it to be semi-successful as the <i>Gillicus </i>is completely articulated and not digested, indicating that trying to swallow this meal likely killed the <i>Xiphactinus</i>. Other times smaller remains of a fishy meal in the body cavity of a <i>Xiphactinus </i>are found, we see this in a little less than half of our specimens.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1SaXLbtnrJvxb-D6yoPk7gurOJQG6BXKZDZrTHteFllS98fcNawtVlQUPvbrCK2qy3OBI3Y2E6REZ2KBwhAUVSSxj7n7tYjypuiPQ7k95YElpDcisvw0F8Iw9PXwdPETNprllM7n7zuy/s1984/xiphact2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1984" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1SaXLbtnrJvxb-D6yoPk7gurOJQG6BXKZDZrTHteFllS98fcNawtVlQUPvbrCK2qy3OBI3Y2E6REZ2KBwhAUVSSxj7n7tYjypuiPQ7k95YElpDcisvw0F8Iw9PXwdPETNprllM7n7zuy/w553-h157/xiphact2.jpg" width="553" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Mike Everhart www.oceansofkansas.com</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />Fast forward to the spring of 2018. I was scouting the lower Niobrara Chalk in Gove County, Kansas. The chalk is defined stratigraphically by 23 distinctive easily traced (usually) bentonite layers laid out by Hattin in his 1982 work. These outcrops were around Hattin's Marker Unit 6, so the upper limit of where I could possibly find my dream fish , an articulated specimen of the ram-snouted <i>Martinichthys ziphoides</i>. No luck on that front however I did find this fine pile of bone eroding out, seemingly face-first. A small pile of bones is always a good sign!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6k91Jl7Z1iHVmuHBxdt1lSzsJuwObRQprG3-USHsskSsspr2pzNr_Q45nXYLZhnbM7mRUONsziOjLHGpLbS0JeqePZL6OyY5FcLHkJc9Bm8OuC1cAKRUn-kHI6y61L_bxWwzn2FUdCPc/s2048/20180522_131909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6k91Jl7Z1iHVmuHBxdt1lSzsJuwObRQprG3-USHsskSsspr2pzNr_Q45nXYLZhnbM7mRUONsziOjLHGpLbS0JeqePZL6OyY5FcLHkJc9Bm8OuC1cAKRUn-kHI6y61L_bxWwzn2FUdCPc/w468-h263/20180522_131909.jpg" width="468" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bones are the kinda grey things on the yellow chalk</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />Unfortunately it looked like it was headed into the base of a big cliff. After initial evaluation, we decided to GPS and cover up the site to protect it until we could come back at a later date. That date came the next spring.After a long morning of removing overbruden, we were relieved to see the fish had actually folded in half back on itself about 4 feet from the erosional edge and the balk half pointed back out that direction. We didn't have a tail fin, but we also didn't have to move a mountain of rock chasing this <i>Xiphactinus </i>either. I gave it the nickname "Ashley" after one of my trivia teammates (remember when we could go to bars and do that? Wear a mask and maybe we can soon).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9i2jQRTDNxMfKpqDYvVP_UiU-IpICg6LsyDBYDOC5mYj5kFUASgeDh36gqT1wz5hMMi_eWVJuLJeyxKW9DFhs-a3M0_JxYK06ZENmIXi1tVdsRVADRT2AtGdKKr-djPk_NRupuuooggp/s2048/20190605_090252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9i2jQRTDNxMfKpqDYvVP_UiU-IpICg6LsyDBYDOC5mYj5kFUASgeDh36gqT1wz5hMMi_eWVJuLJeyxKW9DFhs-a3M0_JxYK06ZENmIXi1tVdsRVADRT2AtGdKKr-djPk_NRupuuooggp/w455-h256/20190605_090252.jpg" width="455" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see the digsite?</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />One of the strange things we noticed while exposing the bones in the field was a large bulky bone near the belly. It looked like a cliethrum, one of the bones that the pectoral fin hangs off of. The skeleton itself was mildly disarticulated in parts, and any <i>Xiphactinus </i>will have 2 of them, so maybe this was just a bit of Ashley that was pulled off the carcass when scavengers like the shark <i>Squalicorax </i>came to strip off all the flesh.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjQdC0ejIyEZ7BfwBqfzU4wJR_CYJpbEcoJ0safSxTmaAHXC1NSJ3OeovDgY4F0C914iOAKUmaj3QlG8-PEMKOK-ACkGl0BDpbOC4_qVO_l36g-MxUvN2noVGrEcejGuD3-qgiTyYOK7z/s2048/20190605_145757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjQdC0ejIyEZ7BfwBqfzU4wJR_CYJpbEcoJ0safSxTmaAHXC1NSJ3OeovDgY4F0C914iOAKUmaj3QlG8-PEMKOK-ACkGl0BDpbOC4_qVO_l36g-MxUvN2noVGrEcejGuD3-qgiTyYOK7z/w439-h247/20190605_145757.jpg" width="439" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical Kansas fish dig</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />Preparation showed the skeleton was in much better condition than we had imagines, with decent articulation and a beautiful pelvic fin. It also showed both cliethra that were supposed to be present on a <i>Xiphactinus </i>wee in fact there in place. So what does that mean with our now THIRD cliethrum?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznIOa8rpY5L2SnqHHJaDvbA3PeZySRbql8jsYKKIZtZE5Wjy_rY0HaQVH51PY4c4wkt44EiYLZgWibp9G45T6ZBrFTGkMLzoCYTaB_trsnMp_QlaHDaQQsEN-SXJH3UXFTNTepB05DDQV/s2048/DSCF0392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="2048" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznIOa8rpY5L2SnqHHJaDvbA3PeZySRbql8jsYKKIZtZE5Wjy_rY0HaQVH51PY4c4wkt44EiYLZgWibp9G45T6ZBrFTGkMLzoCYTaB_trsnMp_QlaHDaQQsEN-SXJH3UXFTNTepB05DDQV/w430-h321/DSCF0392.JPG" width="430" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichhnKtqHMO1NSc91gvH2WohuzBzVNbNPzie2PX9bBo4mz33UOro3NC4eSDrjUDLTZaNJDy28AjIjHaGECBZVpIvaGNevoWsrfcDiNGPAPR-sINZGsbs0ndtMaEEj47ychaoqRCa6i2nOf/s2048/DSCF0414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="2048" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichhnKtqHMO1NSc91gvH2WohuzBzVNbNPzie2PX9bBo4mz33UOro3NC4eSDrjUDLTZaNJDy28AjIjHaGECBZVpIvaGNevoWsrfcDiNGPAPR-sINZGsbs0ndtMaEEj47ychaoqRCa6i2nOf/w437-h326/DSCF0414.JPG" width="437" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 very nice looking jackets all cleaned up</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />One way to be sure is to prepare it as well. Free from all of its matrix two things were readily apparent: One: the acid-etched texture of the surface of the bone meaning it was stomach contents and Two: based on the shape, it also belonged to <i>Xiphactinus</i>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkbzI_-kTP4lJ2-5h3wC_Nh2grCpNi4tED8UUZzAN8O_nsSJtl-MI3f4tNsaUMecDpwatluW9Nid66p84w3ckJ7dx_kAR74rIIIe6sJh7YDW32mDoFm1bW7LZAa3qgYS6c5Q-PD8LqywY/s2048/DSCF0411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="2048" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkbzI_-kTP4lJ2-5h3wC_Nh2grCpNi4tED8UUZzAN8O_nsSJtl-MI3f4tNsaUMecDpwatluW9Nid66p84w3ckJ7dx_kAR74rIIIe6sJh7YDW32mDoFm1bW7LZAa3qgYS6c5Q-PD8LqywY/w452-h338/DSCF0411.JPG" width="452" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The smoking gun, so to speak. Acid-etched <i>Xiphactinus </i>cliethrum</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />With that shocking knowledge in hand with al of the bad things <i>Xiphactinus </i>could be (common, boring ugly, a lot of work to dig up and prepare) we can also add cannibalism to that ever growing list.</p>Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-48820281625906296292019-05-10T07:58:00.004-07:002019-05-10T07:58:50.041-07:00Project Kevin Part 2: The KeviningProject Kevin is complete (for now, we have to invent a body and that might be... interesting)! The last time I updated this, I had left you at "We dug stuff up and were making it as pretty as it could be" in the lab. That left us with a pile of neat looking bones, but of course we wanted more. Did we have enough to make a skull? And if so, what did it look like? We sure thought we did based on what we identified, though since the site was trampled int he Cretaceous most bones were missing chunks.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjox5l-qWnbnQQxm6-c_vlhohUmMs2NlCnQdsEE2Hl-HV57umBQrhZqBrQPyFEsUOq3szMzRZOCsVHSQC7kkv9p6VGqnjBDcAyaMc1eG1yagubPao4-_pYVcLsmEEt6auQpPN6dmEBR2bXQ/s1600/DSCF0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjox5l-qWnbnQQxm6-c_vlhohUmMs2NlCnQdsEE2Hl-HV57umBQrhZqBrQPyFEsUOq3szMzRZOCsVHSQC7kkv9p6VGqnjBDcAyaMc1eG1yagubPao4-_pYVcLsmEEt6auQpPN6dmEBR2bXQ/s320/DSCF0269.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the mostly complete brow horns</td></tr>
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First things first though. Let's laser scan (alright not a laser, but an Artec Spider structured light scanner) all the things! This gives us a good baseline to record what we have. These scans can also be shared with interested researchers across the planet. Researchers are usually pretty happy giving opinions of things and many helped us with details on how this thing might come back together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr0HeXZVJxYl4-A5wEYqUINwdyMDUJN6X2GIOxHCFNN-KYF65UcbVVHns6-DWSfinUH7DWMamrsZmlU5m0jcggP-Bo4SxzOOaSxz1DswPTGMVkmDkfyWPI_dh2_bXFTOp4gbOqBsKPhPo/s1600/20180905_160902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr0HeXZVJxYl4-A5wEYqUINwdyMDUJN6X2GIOxHCFNN-KYF65UcbVVHns6-DWSfinUH7DWMamrsZmlU5m0jcggP-Bo4SxzOOaSxz1DswPTGMVkmDkfyWPI_dh2_bXFTOp4gbOqBsKPhPo/s320/20180905_160902.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right maxilla in digital form</td></tr>
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<br />
We can also try out new things with the scans. I came up with an interesting idea to print a 30% scale model of all the parts (using mirrored parts if one side was missing or just incomplete/really ugly). We popped off the parts on our Formlabs Form2 (the 30% scale was determined by the size of the build plate of the printer, these SLA printers can be pretty small) and tried to put together a model to guide us. We goofed though.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4THDbhEYRNnJ1FU57hUyLfbh4KL_lU_NX7V4qvS2ItEdf6KuB4ZAlAwVTSoYYUR5cy3Gkm_70Ov0rNs2jVxE-xovmM4KxtSXWea5cA3hF4uv3ABLzJx2uavRUPdEW-coOgca0Ctqapdsa/s1600/DSCF0078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4THDbhEYRNnJ1FU57hUyLfbh4KL_lU_NX7V4qvS2ItEdf6KuB4ZAlAwVTSoYYUR5cy3Gkm_70Ov0rNs2jVxE-xovmM4KxtSXWea5cA3hF4uv3ABLzJx2uavRUPdEW-coOgca0Ctqapdsa/s320/DSCF0078.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first draft, complete with all our errors</td></tr>
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Turns out we had the brow horns on backwards. Also the fits between the bones weren't as accurate as we would have liked. So we fixed them on a small scale before committing on the casts and prints of the full scale stuff. It also gave us the ability to try out things like a scaled and computationally-squished rostrum to make a part that we were completely missing. In this case we printed out a bunch of different possibilities and fit them on until we had a result that looked plausible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMufoZ_IJcZ_BUpSpKnDLSLtd52ekscZ56GwPZIQYphFv3QkhIoKarWjklbKm9zhD-U1do454pHh1dNBOpyhP9vXbkRRqS8cVDDbyQ6GsjETMXXwMv9K7oJDUE8SYQEQwfCUxNhM0b29k/s1600/DSCF0314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMufoZ_IJcZ_BUpSpKnDLSLtd52ekscZ56GwPZIQYphFv3QkhIoKarWjklbKm9zhD-U1do454pHh1dNBOpyhP9vXbkRRqS8cVDDbyQ6GsjETMXXwMv9K7oJDUE8SYQEQwfCUxNhM0b29k/s320/DSCF0314.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second draft of scale model, now we get to try out different beaks</td></tr>
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With this information in hand, 4 binders of papers as references and a pile of casts, we were ready to take a stab at reconstructing the skull. Lainie and Grace really did a heck of a job learning these techniques. Printing out full size mirrored parts make the skull more accurate and easier to reassemble than if we were to sculpt the missing bits from scratch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWVIX-4laiqffGH5vXqyx2UWaM4guS1OaBAlrXL53T4rGBoim0J00uTdx9ujuWl3R9VB4sUxHWghT0OtC_qWu5Xxc6ribWl-P8_UhyhTBKFthYEa7pHfGDdtWfZJC-INlU_QuIuW6L1ug/s1600/IMG_7117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWVIX-4laiqffGH5vXqyx2UWaM4guS1OaBAlrXL53T4rGBoim0J00uTdx9ujuWl3R9VB4sUxHWghT0OtC_qWu5Xxc6ribWl-P8_UhyhTBKFthYEa7pHfGDdtWfZJC-INlU_QuIuW6L1ug/s320/IMG_7117.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3D prints, casts, lots of epoxy putty and Bondo. Lainie for scale</td></tr>
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Things went pretty smoothly till someone (who shall remain nameless) suggested our minimum length conservative frill was probably much too short. The first draft was based only on the length of the frill parts that were preserved. Chasmosaurines like this have seriously long frills though so we took their advice and busted out the sawzall. It was only plastic after all.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rKxvEais_00FekxzNGV4ymnQFTEl_Ms0GEZM6O_w7ATqnkga5s7mUNeJqK6z-mLgFc9OVvEnOkMpdbzZTLxYRQ-P6DMb9bizXWueT8jz0TK1XeMaCrXegOEvXxjR_DFmQoQrikuft8T_/s1600/IMG_7132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rKxvEais_00FekxzNGV4ymnQFTEl_Ms0GEZM6O_w7ATqnkga5s7mUNeJqK6z-mLgFc9OVvEnOkMpdbzZTLxYRQ-P6DMb9bizXWueT8jz0TK1XeMaCrXegOEvXxjR_DFmQoQrikuft8T_/s320/IMG_7132.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK, let's move this frill about a foot to the back I really think it looks better this way.</td></tr>
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We also had to make teeth. Hydrospan 100 was wonderful for this. We poured it into a mold of Ava (RMDRC 12-020)'s dentary and made a floppy cast. This material was then soaked in water until it expanded enough to fit the tooth rows for Kevin. Then we molded it, poured a bunch of plastic copies and played dinosaur dentist for a few days getting over 100 rows of teeth in all the jaws.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dydmFbp3qsSWljoBd4nhs03tId-7WpWAy0oVnbV_NJoo4X4aSyWYPPjnrXTQVmFw8CmCNQd37bwo51JH1rgtA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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We molded all the finished parts and made casts. The skull was cut apart to make the molding process easier. A single mold for the top of the skull would have been huge, complicated and really heavy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vmcLjzGRArC6FjsLAOx6G1zkOOCo_4tL_WKbROEsU_8yMlpJy75IpvJBP85UDM2aSSK2GaiHdmJ_zfekbRBqR7-xzA2Jmg9s3bkUa67N0M8mHBJe7WGROMmYUqxdBJ_sqZjYXs1oZ9hQ/s1600/DSCF0140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vmcLjzGRArC6FjsLAOx6G1zkOOCo_4tL_WKbROEsU_8yMlpJy75IpvJBP85UDM2aSSK2GaiHdmJ_zfekbRBqR7-xzA2Jmg9s3bkUa67N0M8mHBJe7WGROMmYUqxdBJ_sqZjYXs1oZ9hQ/s320/DSCF0140.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what a Kevin skull kit would contain if you bought one</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1gTJpMhMFLZ0WrcIHB-YoME-Wp9miJPv_zMLSOBOTNGDWFyhzhiEKGv3YKBOYVrcG8We2LEue7bEhUTvUSmGhmJ2iYPpKwuKix27PM-lzEPgHImuQausJN3BwF7VMFUTKFzyLF5r0ASc/s1600/IMG_7158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1gTJpMhMFLZ0WrcIHB-YoME-Wp9miJPv_zMLSOBOTNGDWFyhzhiEKGv3YKBOYVrcG8We2LEue7bEhUTvUSmGhmJ2iYPpKwuKix27PM-lzEPgHImuQausJN3BwF7VMFUTKFzyLF5r0ASc/s320/IMG_7158.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace and Lainie making a huge mold for the frill</td></tr>
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<br />We put the prototype together in just a few days. It was a lot bigger than we expected. But after paint and finishing, I thought it went together pretty well! Technology really helped us out on this one, saving us materials, time and most importantly effort. I don't think we could have gotten it done by the deadline without it. Now it's time to figure out where this belongs in the family tree.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOWFe7_s56bzNZMIKDb3LOuuAZ_oAjkPQDRDRC6gZPs7SqPmGm7Cq_yjrLQrkNb-yOKDXPkt2GZZivXlGhBKI3xeFYboUIYX_5fV4ETFvPt-ThsRBfffuU98e1IoP6kP0I0qjDm9BTQVK/s1600/DSCF0173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOWFe7_s56bzNZMIKDb3LOuuAZ_oAjkPQDRDRC6gZPs7SqPmGm7Cq_yjrLQrkNb-yOKDXPkt2GZZivXlGhBKI3xeFYboUIYX_5fV4ETFvPt-ThsRBfffuU98e1IoP6kP0I0qjDm9BTQVK/s320/DSCF0173.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The prototype is done!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKniIoTYt-510746-qUe2cPpc-n2lGfM_N7bQDTcGshjO7VpOZ_sWG3wzi5NlgIB_nYK1n8MRvp-ok1WxujYOJzCN_lMaHlJ1w-H2rp_62wNqDzPnKYBsZXpIYH1Bj6OeeBfDh0Te2ypB/s1600/20190123_161029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKniIoTYt-510746-qUe2cPpc-n2lGfM_N7bQDTcGshjO7VpOZ_sWG3wzi5NlgIB_nYK1n8MRvp-ok1WxujYOJzCN_lMaHlJ1w-H2rp_62wNqDzPnKYBsZXpIYH1Bj6OeeBfDh0Te2ypB/s320/20190123_161029.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the obligatory "Curator for scale" photo. I forgot to suck in my gut.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQFi2C4JL62Lf3MiJaJku0JjUJkWRVrhpVdJcdBiZdy7D76MwpytPg1YcK6pfpHi_Osbn06H_9ERN8m4w-ecm0D9Jd3IyjvFv7RBhwGPRwEazGIuVjx9g8uZhDPGVDReLy5efVujCAZfe/s1600/Kevin+Left+side+w+key.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQFi2C4JL62Lf3MiJaJku0JjUJkWRVrhpVdJcdBiZdy7D76MwpytPg1YcK6pfpHi_Osbn06H_9ERN8m4w-ecm0D9Jd3IyjvFv7RBhwGPRwEazGIuVjx9g8uZhDPGVDReLy5efVujCAZfe/s320/Kevin+Left+side+w+key.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's what we put together for the left side, and where we got it from.</td></tr>
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-68088586763268490222019-02-14T09:21:00.000-08:002019-02-14T09:21:58.887-08:00Project Kevin Part 1: Field and Lab WorkThe astute social media observers among you may have noticed our new ceratopsian whose skull restoration was just finished in time for its debut at Tucson. Here's how we got it there in 2 parts. Today: the hot and nasty work.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9f-LzFp0cDJ6kBTP8CKZRcMFXqXnElYWTfQAPu1eHa9aajZRiJZuN1OGP76anmldnbz1IMcI3O4nYSaPkVm7AbEoAhRUmC4m7YRbZeBLB7z6zlmPNksEEel-D_E2nK7RaDOVPYvF0ZYL/s1600/20180811_132140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9f-LzFp0cDJ6kBTP8CKZRcMFXqXnElYWTfQAPu1eHa9aajZRiJZuN1OGP76anmldnbz1IMcI3O4nYSaPkVm7AbEoAhRUmC4m7YRbZeBLB7z6zlmPNksEEel-D_E2nK7RaDOVPYvF0ZYL/s320/20180811_132140.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, that's hot</td></tr>
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The site was originally discovered in the summer of 2017 by one of our landowners, rancher buddies and all around good guy Larry in the upper Judith River Formation of central Montana. We located a partial humerus, a lot of ribs and several vertebrae exposed on the erosional surface right away. The entire deposit was constricted to about 15cm (6 inches) of highly concreted sandstone, and from the exposed highly eroded elements we could tell it was from an ornithischian of some flavor. Odds were it was probably an incomplete scattered duckbill in fairly difficult to work matrix, so we decided to keep scouting and come back later.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTt-l9Tc5XV79ptj_AEttoufBTdDdrl0nO5A0p07MEJXl83aWKwyaGCjfjQ1B2hRJNkhP76v8ZBMbi29WW9pvi8tutGOcoh_mvUk7MN4B34rka_PtAHpqPfGJ3jcObm-h20x4APxGpBQS/s1600/20180718_114525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTt-l9Tc5XV79ptj_AEttoufBTdDdrl0nO5A0p07MEJXl83aWKwyaGCjfjQ1B2hRJNkhP76v8ZBMbi29WW9pvi8tutGOcoh_mvUk7MN4B34rka_PtAHpqPfGJ3jcObm-h20x4APxGpBQS/s320/20180718_114525.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The site is very remote but also gorgeous</td></tr>
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That later turned out to be the summer of 2018. It was hot. Really hot. Continued scouting in that area turned up some pretty neat lag deposits but not a whole lot of good skeletal material. It was time to bite the bullet and see what the old duckbill site was going to give us. Who knows, there might be a skull in there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKSrCa2AGgzLoQONPoQCJ5U7Oq1MnSua7nPVqqsxIsYIqa9Q0XdzLXPNA2vFbPz7FHiUyTrusKAoOjPqJspkIeNV8lVPOfG9OHaK2mVbI3Q0dhInLxAg6yRILcks7Ap4miCjTngEwIwtm/s1600/20180718_115223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKSrCa2AGgzLoQONPoQCJ5U7Oq1MnSua7nPVqqsxIsYIqa9Q0XdzLXPNA2vFbPz7FHiUyTrusKAoOjPqJspkIeNV8lVPOfG9OHaK2mVbI3Q0dhInLxAg6yRILcks7Ap4miCjTngEwIwtm/s320/20180718_115223.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging begins. We love our shade tents.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTUvoai1-pxWoHHwiBI-fsVsyOutPl_-S-BxKkULUBe__i9BId6mcKszwHJpEDk3j_5iVlesWtFi9MJosVRYLuU70ZJZgca9M6rkmdt1buwvmZ8KeUmgR1KR4bozsN0QunOUhm1KMmabY/s1600/20180809_083056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTUvoai1-pxWoHHwiBI-fsVsyOutPl_-S-BxKkULUBe__i9BId6mcKszwHJpEDk3j_5iVlesWtFi9MJosVRYLuU70ZJZgca9M6rkmdt1buwvmZ8KeUmgR1KR4bozsN0QunOUhm1KMmabY/s320/20180809_083056.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes we get visitors to the site</td></tr>
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<br />
With 4 people digging we made some good progress on the first day of the dig. Around lunchtime I had moseyed on up to the top of a nearby bluff to get cell signal to call home to the boss and give him an update on how we weren't finding anything great out there and might relocate our scouting locality to somewhere closer to camp. Coming back to the site I ran into Jacob who was looking for me to let me know we had "the weirdest duckbill he's ever seen" in the quarry.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMVK55mNU6ej1NnlQu0ByKFYZIaVJG7EE6qAescpn30CE8mN2LGe6Aon_XniOcDdjN6hv21Hx1gub1L3NbYk9l9sOOXQSoaaNSjxI286Ea5doao59LzxeXB57SRTiysqDcTOAy5U_ECyq/s1600/20180714_145559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMVK55mNU6ej1NnlQu0ByKFYZIaVJG7EE6qAescpn30CE8mN2LGe6Aon_XniOcDdjN6hv21Hx1gub1L3NbYk9l9sOOXQSoaaNSjxI286Ea5doao59LzxeXB57SRTiysqDcTOAy5U_ECyq/s320/20180714_145559.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That ain't no duckbill horn.</td></tr>
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Grace had found a brow horn.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0APyuri4dfF977K36tTA4HwMnRx8XslLb9vFAZGF8GLZmHUcAP4z3yG_U1iYT7cFda6icr2rDaX3cBGhVDTb6596CxLwZLRK7a5CY-j22Yu88tnmq8etfaQ-JiT-XPIAMqNiOBgBFxTR/s1600/IMG_6021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0APyuri4dfF977K36tTA4HwMnRx8XslLb9vFAZGF8GLZmHUcAP4z3yG_U1iYT7cFda6icr2rDaX3cBGhVDTb6596CxLwZLRK7a5CY-j22Yu88tnmq8etfaQ-JiT-XPIAMqNiOBgBFxTR/s320/IMG_6021.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lainie demonstrates proper air hammer technique.</td></tr>
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So, not a duckbill (though to be fair we did find some scattered hadrosaur material at the site). We dug more that week finding much more skull material, but had to come home for resupply and other projects. We got smart during trip #2 and brought out some diesel powered earth moving equipment as the overburden went from practically zero to nearly 3 meters very quickly. Again more skull material was found. There was some postcrania too but we all know that ceratopsian postcrania is pretty much worthless, right?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-5q5wGXccp5CfGbkxusBkEyeJsXKIwZReIUenkEm-mMLbVrIKvmEHAONLN3q1MUh7NF572s4cckqFRhXfnqREe7JUKyTHB6Bwku9ZWGMCvzt-9ryGw1_uSSn5wVRwFWaI8KhJw_8jvdZ/s1600/20180811_131725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-5q5wGXccp5CfGbkxusBkEyeJsXKIwZReIUenkEm-mMLbVrIKvmEHAONLN3q1MUh7NF572s4cckqFRhXfnqREe7JUKyTHB6Bwku9ZWGMCvzt-9ryGw1_uSSn5wVRwFWaI8KhJw_8jvdZ/s320/20180811_131725.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bobcat good, getting hit by 2 dust devils in a row bad for shade tents</td></tr>
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After the 3rd trip, the bone was very sparse along all edges of the excavation and we were pretty confident to call the dig finished.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYa3-_CUwD_PC56xdAxrKKTe_pLeQl5ZnlTl0EUIU4sH7ZWzn8okvB1VQun9otIkcEF7WcnW3WP_yRXYlKgm4E2r175E5JZY9tjvC8Lz3FqbiwYlwTk0dnWerzbZWXstVb4QsV_SKMJ9O/s1600/20180812_090505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYa3-_CUwD_PC56xdAxrKKTe_pLeQl5ZnlTl0EUIU4sH7ZWzn8okvB1VQun9otIkcEF7WcnW3WP_yRXYlKgm4E2r175E5JZY9tjvC8Lz3FqbiwYlwTk0dnWerzbZWXstVb4QsV_SKMJ9O/s320/20180812_090505.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headed home with a load of jackets. Rock Chalk!</td></tr>
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Lab work began right away. There were a few tricky bits getting the nasty concretion off the bones but for the most part they came out looking pretty good. Once cleaned up we got a much better idea of what parts of the skull we had (field identifications are always tentative). It also became pretty obvious the skeleton was trampled by other very inconsiderate dinosaurs way back in the cretaceous, as we had many broken bones with no parts to go back with them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6FqUHDR0KtpmV3BBN1AiIMsqxyYPkRKsbMkbD2exoD8SSIZ4mTgLNhKGad3bPW2FxUhlqSR2Bdg3XsEAPEszQk7z4XsKzCmY3boAtB7Y2OII7XE8Kw60QlSN8YDMPrsT09S1a5QsKnbJ/s1600/20180817_154113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6FqUHDR0KtpmV3BBN1AiIMsqxyYPkRKsbMkbD2exoD8SSIZ4mTgLNhKGad3bPW2FxUhlqSR2Bdg3XsEAPEszQk7z4XsKzCmY3boAtB7Y2OII7XE8Kw60QlSN8YDMPrsT09S1a5QsKnbJ/s320/20180817_154113.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right brow horn, missing some parts, but we can fix that.</td></tr>
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Bone quality was pretty good and we ended up with most of the skull, quite a bit of the neck, some dorsal vertebrae and ribs, and curiously a random chunk of pubis.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnoHJwZtZsYZnz4xBwQyfZT8o9VMqsxI05J2008sbCs63EhFdfXWKEO9gEErBtMVWF0DpsN9V5AhtshsnycWuT1KPHYJAODtnwEyRMutGZk_Z7JE6KGmD95yL6aEO3ZdeIEp5NCM1Pdc0/s1600/20180814_164732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnoHJwZtZsYZnz4xBwQyfZT8o9VMqsxI05J2008sbCs63EhFdfXWKEO9gEErBtMVWF0DpsN9V5AhtshsnycWuT1KPHYJAODtnwEyRMutGZk_Z7JE6KGmD95yL6aEO3ZdeIEp5NCM1Pdc0/s320/20180814_164732.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of jugal edge. Beautiful bone texture.</td></tr>
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Stay tuned for the next installment where we show how we went from a pile of bones to a completed skull restoration in 100 easy steps!Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-32005597135556865292018-12-03T14:34:00.000-08:002018-12-03T14:34:20.526-08:00Pete III Final Update: In Its Forever HomeThis post has been a long time coming. A little over 13 years from when we first dug a hole in the ground for a toe fragment in Central Montana, our giant <i>Daspletosaurus sp. </i>"Pete III" is now on permanent display at the Cincinnati Museum Center! A photo of Pete's metatarsal was prominently featured in my first blog post here way back in 2010. We put over a decade into excavating, <a href="https://rmdrc.blogspot.com/2014/02/and-now-for-something-slightly-different.html" target="_blank">preparing</a>, <a href="https://rmdrc.blogspot.com/2014/04/scanning-daspletosaurus.html" target="_blank">scanning</a>, <a href="https://rmdrc.blogspot.com/2014/09/pete-iii-makes-progress-molding.html" target="_blank">molding</a>, <a href="https://rmdrc.blogspot.com/2016/05/pete-iii-finished-for-now.html" target="_blank">casting</a> and <a href="https://rmdrc.blogspot.com/2016/04/daspletosaurus-assembly-building.html" target="_blank">assembling</a> this specimen (click these links to go directly to the older content). I'm happy that it's finally done, but I'm kinda sad to see it go all the same.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6X2oHWneNH8EkN7JlRgIhMMqAAkaeKeIode8F5pxN9VUISQwebZO6OYwb1KgfeTypRm1CRm8UBqaFdMvj97ByWJOTdWQFxTdETwX8gxJlEY8frGLRQryrNWgoxJRm8K2isYTiFyjuEPd/s1600/Dinosuar+week%252C+Montana%252C+July+2005+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6X2oHWneNH8EkN7JlRgIhMMqAAkaeKeIode8F5pxN9VUISQwebZO6OYwb1KgfeTypRm1CRm8UBqaFdMvj97ByWJOTdWQFxTdETwX8gxJlEY8frGLRQryrNWgoxJRm8K2isYTiFyjuEPd/s320/Dinosuar+week%252C+Montana%252C+July+2005+046.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original hole in the ground, field season 2005</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsXXbtkTU6q527X0pln6T8Yz4TakO8biGZbwdLlT_qR4NABRSnP10Ews1enaTc9fJVA1SBZoqrHu8ym3KvQGZe6GnGZQ4BYWfQlXJLN99J-usr8HOAEp_-mgfdJur-BRWcoUt5zkf4iE4/s1600/Bones+080806+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsXXbtkTU6q527X0pln6T8Yz4TakO8biGZbwdLlT_qR4NABRSnP10Ews1enaTc9fJVA1SBZoqrHu8ym3KvQGZe6GnGZQ4BYWfQlXJLN99J-usr8HOAEp_-mgfdJur-BRWcoUt5zkf4iE4/s320/Bones+080806+026.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first ugly toe. It got better.</td></tr>
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You can search all those old posts on the blog for progress, but now I'd like to share with you the finished product! We mounted all of the original bones (minus the skull, those bones are still loose and in the collections in Cincinnati) on an external steel armature with removable brackets so that anything that needs to be taken off of display for research can easily be done. <i>Daspletosaurus </i>is much more rare than "boring old" <i>Tyrannosaurus rex</i> so the research value of this specimen should be high.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9MhJyXAeDn9WZAuzI_U9549iPPdA_hsA6_4Q8Eqol3UwCLll0OmliFle0XVF_ijYlqCnx2t5rk6yEiRkMwb8-jdYOYC3Xw8vvg62HLFB6keRursJVU5iMDVgFBCweLr1xemWl33KqGMD/s1600/20180829_121308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9MhJyXAeDn9WZAuzI_U9549iPPdA_hsA6_4Q8Eqol3UwCLll0OmliFle0XVF_ijYlqCnx2t5rk6yEiRkMwb8-jdYOYC3Xw8vvg62HLFB6keRursJVU5iMDVgFBCweLr1xemWl33KqGMD/s320/20180829_121308.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copies of this ungual can be purchased at www.deeptimefossils.com</td></tr>
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The mount itself is a fairly conservative pose, not really running, not really mouth-wide-open. Viewed from near the <i>Allosaurus</i>, it seems to tower over the city skyline (hold the Chili). The restored art deco hall that Pete III now calls home is an exhibit itself and was very well done.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5yO9BWUuIvJUBLOO0OmIDVHDImq1TpFt8gppT7fQTxKsfVEgDlAvHACr46oUaw_WwrH_0iTDStRy__JiMJpCcqfL9cZ71jEFw6b_wc9cy4ehqVetBvRnZsRMkUiEdfvXZwSZQfPWPAoO/s1600/20180828_163419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5yO9BWUuIvJUBLOO0OmIDVHDImq1TpFt8gppT7fQTxKsfVEgDlAvHACr46oUaw_WwrH_0iTDStRy__JiMJpCcqfL9cZ71jEFw6b_wc9cy4ehqVetBvRnZsRMkUiEdfvXZwSZQfPWPAoO/s320/20180828_163419.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really like this shot</td></tr>
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We tried to make the supporting steel as visually unobtrusive as possible while still being substantial enough to do its job of holding up hundreds of pounds of real bone (and quite a bit of super glue). There might just be as much steel by weight as original bone in this mount, but it really doesn't feel like it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwA2qGqcnB22eqPp1a0t1HogOzQBr2D_nXPMehI3-Pqa5b9EHAr_rU33QDYF88fP7ah2T4N8unmHxCIbVAE3W-plg_mvowdCBJi6Iu3pteicD6y3xKJqhR6ZgKQR86MfV76_mh43-WKVz/s1600/20180829_113714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwA2qGqcnB22eqPp1a0t1HogOzQBr2D_nXPMehI3-Pqa5b9EHAr_rU33QDYF88fP7ah2T4N8unmHxCIbVAE3W-plg_mvowdCBJi6Iu3pteicD6y3xKJqhR6ZgKQR86MfV76_mh43-WKVz/s320/20180829_113714.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every bone gets its own personal mounting steel support</td></tr>
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<br />
We're really happy how this mount turned out and now all you tyrannosaur researchers out there know who to talk to about planning a visit and publishing. No more excuse to pretend it doesn't exist anymore! And if you notice, things look "unfinished" in the photographs. This is because I helped install it back in August, so if you have better pictures of the display from your next visit I'd love to see them! Here's to thousands and thousands of visitors liking this specimen just as much as we do!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhq-QqBGM7A_m1-UpUwURuZq_7-Wzlg1U-KdIbr4d_zrflQLvN6HR3WutZZY91rX31uve1hq7nkNkfM2xyQE3I0oMClaCMnDp9B7ILrzu14mBAzVkk2F1vvvbbVtpDdfOeAgsaQTqAPgB/s1600/20180828_173343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhq-QqBGM7A_m1-UpUwURuZq_7-Wzlg1U-KdIbr4d_zrflQLvN6HR3WutZZY91rX31uve1hq7nkNkfM2xyQE3I0oMClaCMnDp9B7ILrzu14mBAzVkk2F1vvvbbVtpDdfOeAgsaQTqAPgB/s320/20180828_173343.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished mount, curator for scale</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHviGP_2jJc1B9daegPI9dalYgR8twAoMLOZsM5h_NBYzbbSjCGzDY4w5DIMVTmAwcjR-vta_U5k8od8EqEPZH0ZeZnHE91qkvc0gTDMwPkEc-BwzSovNRIEChlQugnGZS-3Z4L_UwOKV_/s1600/20180828_163448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHviGP_2jJc1B9daegPI9dalYgR8twAoMLOZsM5h_NBYzbbSjCGzDY4w5DIMVTmAwcjR-vta_U5k8od8EqEPZH0ZeZnHE91qkvc0gTDMwPkEc-BwzSovNRIEChlQugnGZS-3Z4L_UwOKV_/s320/20180828_163448.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An even better photo without the curator</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YlfkmXO-NjL4GTn6UCD866q6hQAImeFmcqlqHPFJ46y5tLNsBaYvjyDkTLmzkgbsjtS49rriSPLbfSsHbmqoRzQ2Uwimfiy-xZRSfooZquzwdcPK64q3pOi9K2lea4n_hLWh4Ph4ErlQ/s1600/20180828_173132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YlfkmXO-NjL4GTn6UCD866q6hQAImeFmcqlqHPFJ46y5tLNsBaYvjyDkTLmzkgbsjtS49rriSPLbfSsHbmqoRzQ2Uwimfiy-xZRSfooZquzwdcPK64q3pOi9K2lea4n_hLWh4Ph4ErlQ/s320/20180828_173132.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pete's huge (as far as tyrannosaurs go) arm</td></tr>
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-58869705651659848882018-08-15T07:33:00.000-07:002018-08-15T07:33:35.777-07:00Bigfoot from Wyoming: The largest dinosaur foot found yetHey! I published on something, 18 years after I started the paper.<br />
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The awesome scientific article is<a href="https://peerj.com/articles/5250/" target="_blank"> here on PeerJ's website,</a> open access for anyone to read and download. As far as I can tell, it's gotten almost 8000 reads so far, so not too shabby! I also did a <a href="https://peerj.com/blog/post/115284880825/the-real-bigfoot-behind-the-scenes-with-the-largest-dinosaur-foot-ever-discovered/" target="_blank">companion blog post for them</a> where you can read all kinds of information on why exactly it took 20 years from discovery to publication. Short version of the story: I got a job and it wasn't a huge priority to me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7XZdERPBi-pATg3Ur7kTokpQ49cVsieNblGg6ZyULAHHXA2-85ZWAhfyp6YjZIje7M-EbaotNcGhvTB7OMDgzWucxBAQMTQizizaraIEJDJKLEbBRPMMEKfMvbh-znQzk42mHMBRWTwj/s1600/34841042_2208034705904091_2041694488920850432_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1600" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7XZdERPBi-pATg3Ur7kTokpQ49cVsieNblGg6ZyULAHHXA2-85ZWAhfyp6YjZIje7M-EbaotNcGhvTB7OMDgzWucxBAQMTQizizaraIEJDJKLEbBRPMMEKfMvbh-znQzk42mHMBRWTwj/s320/34841042_2208034705904091_2041694488920850432_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KUVP 129716 "Annabelle". Bigfoot was found under the tail.</td></tr>
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As someone that has to self-fund all my research projects, publication costs are a real issue. I wanted to go open-access as I think making another company richer by giving them the fruits of my labor (on a public specimen) is kinda wrong, but there are some expenses in order to publish it properly. I simply don't have the free cash to do that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYD5z3ibTFsJrcHPPBI-cwXfv7rvwRU51sEmHNNlovWrExp56gYMpE8DwH6KhZd2r9bBzxbgIWNwWiY4G77CMQS7ygaFWO6daLQl4VawrTQ6oT1OimAIjO-tA0zfkSOjiVp9X7_hca4CU/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYD5z3ibTFsJrcHPPBI-cwXfv7rvwRU51sEmHNNlovWrExp56gYMpE8DwH6KhZd2r9bBzxbgIWNwWiY4G77CMQS7ygaFWO6daLQl4VawrTQ6oT1OimAIjO-tA0zfkSOjiVp9X7_hca4CU/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More brachiosaur material from the site, me for scale.</td></tr>
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Then came February. I had already assembled a small team of experts to finally move the project along, as I was getting tired of constipating science. Emanuel Tschopp and Femke Holwerda were Team Europe, and David Burnham and Myself were Team Kansas. We had no idea where we would publish but we had already begun preparing measurements and basic text. PeerJ surprisingly had a special promotion for their 5th anniversary offering to waive publication costs for articles submitted during that month. That was an offer too hard to pass up, but could we do it?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8lxHeCKWxKQguB-fnhfI699Zk6rxFLZTIz0DKM9WWp-wwvEMM_si0oCaBQzcGS_8j5OVQGE5n1SrYj5L_Cr1_8X_iW6oHxhNisZkX1OXN4ruXAZkn2yTOBqPpJnMGuLIf7aHNnd7F5fn/s1600/DSC_0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8lxHeCKWxKQguB-fnhfI699Zk6rxFLZTIz0DKM9WWp-wwvEMM_si0oCaBQzcGS_8j5OVQGE5n1SrYj5L_Cr1_8X_iW6oHxhNisZkX1OXN4ruXAZkn2yTOBqPpJnMGuLIf7aHNnd7F5fn/s320/DSC_0053.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Archaeopteryx gawks at the metatarsals</td></tr>
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The writing crew huddled over Google Hangouts and assembled a pretty decent draft in just 2 weeks (!!!) complete with figures for submission. Femke referred to it as "Rambo Writing" and I don't think it's too far off the mark as a description. We submitted it and waited.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQM9vTf2zpiBsVK1VYolhok3WXgEpmlWoQg7pYM8LfhsY6gDMDfKjJZ_m9VboT6UwRrVfGj3UtKPcgxy48HkMHUTvc4r2zPKSRck01TJrAIoEGPnH3ZNH0Y6QKmqP-qZyIyuwDCnk3eL_/s1600/digital+model+during+scanning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1440" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQM9vTf2zpiBsVK1VYolhok3WXgEpmlWoQg7pYM8LfhsY6gDMDfKjJZ_m9VboT6UwRrVfGj3UtKPcgxy48HkMHUTvc4r2zPKSRck01TJrAIoEGPnH3ZNH0Y6QKmqP-qZyIyuwDCnk3eL_/s320/digital+model+during+scanning.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making the model of the MT IV</td></tr>
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In a few weeks we heard back: Accepted with minor revisions. Minor except we had to refigure all of the original bones. So off I went to Kansas with Triebold Paleontology Inc's Artec Spider scanner and 3D render rig. Not included in the paper (but existing) are complete 3D models of every bone on this foot. Contact KUVP if you need access for research, I think they came out pretty well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv_Zfzi9C2IzWcuIKBshYMxhNdwLMsLcbL_aQiWkef6MWkX1oG39lbWLj2MBmNQmAcHJMPKqUnrdbcTtVAfVr-H7m8C9SLQ3WVxC8U5qYq9Q4yjYPhjZtOwkAprnp5VMmWtZDgonK7Q6_/s1600/3d+scan+brach+bone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1076" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv_Zfzi9C2IzWcuIKBshYMxhNdwLMsLcbL_aQiWkef6MWkX1oG39lbWLj2MBmNQmAcHJMPKqUnrdbcTtVAfVr-H7m8C9SLQ3WVxC8U5qYq9Q4yjYPhjZtOwkAprnp5VMmWtZDgonK7Q6_/s320/3d+scan+brach+bone.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completed model of MT II</td></tr>
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After that, things went pretty well! We resubmitted and it was just a very short time between then and it coming out to the world. Press was also pretty kind (though they kept referring to me as "Dr." and thought it was a footprint instead of an actual foot). Heck, I made it into Newsweek! Pretty wild.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGcB4AJ1jGpUbCTdAZiwcHDOd6voWwe5xkOXsTCKFi2ttrmnWqp0841G_95n1yJVbVXDfUKnIpJm4pM8ue8NLNMb7AM4LSOoq3cFYGL-7OEWRC8v-UI4mxBC5nTc61jMTaSgsxv0-ERMQ/s1600/Newsweek+snip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="1017" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGcB4AJ1jGpUbCTdAZiwcHDOd6voWwe5xkOXsTCKFi2ttrmnWqp0841G_95n1yJVbVXDfUKnIpJm4pM8ue8NLNMb7AM4LSOoq3cFYGL-7OEWRC8v-UI4mxBC5nTc61jMTaSgsxv0-ERMQ/s320/Newsweek+snip.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the news(week)!</td></tr>
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Why didn't we say it's definitely from <i>Brachiosaurus</i>? Simple: No Morrison Formation <i>Brachiosaurus </i>specimen has ever had any pes material recovered with it, so we didn't have any overlapping elements to compare with. Could it be <i>Brachiosaurus</i>? Sure, even probably, but we simply don't have that smoking gun just yet.<br /><br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-83154609790379570172018-01-24T15:31:00.000-08:002018-01-24T15:31:08.884-08:00The little Thescelosaurus that couldThe Hell Creek Formation is so much more than just <i>Triceratops</i> and <i>Edmontosaurus </i>and <i>Tyrannosaurus rex</i>. There, I said it. I head out there to swelter and dig nearly every summer, and it's truly not the big famous dinosaurs I'm interested in. This is where Jonathan comes in. This specimen, RMDRC 06-007, was collected over a decade ago and sat in our collections partially prepared for most of that time. Coincidentally it's a specimen of <i>Thescelosaurus neglectus</i>, the "neglected marvelous lizard" and the name sure fits. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyymfoctjE6TpBuH60UaC0VQGCqLh_08QCXnJja3GGABi0KDZrCk6AjNylMcEtXvOLwr9o8WNyAxICULY7knR6d7QAzgVHFBT1AvIjFbFqV3u8xbGFFtXnJvThK3onY5wYzK0ZZEay2G1/s1600/Jonathan99+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyymfoctjE6TpBuH60UaC0VQGCqLh_08QCXnJja3GGABi0KDZrCk6AjNylMcEtXvOLwr9o8WNyAxICULY7knR6d7QAzgVHFBT1AvIjFbFqV3u8xbGFFtXnJvThK3onY5wYzK0ZZEay2G1/s320/Jonathan99+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partly prepared in the jacket, tail and right leg in other places</td></tr>
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In the spring of 2017 we decided we needed to do something with the specimen. Jonathan was mostly articulated in a large heavy field jacket. The first step was to get all the parts into a state where we could mold them, so lots of careful preparation, and lots of consolidant was required. Jonathan was a large (by <i>Thescelosaurus </i>standards) and old animal, but the bones were still preserved with the insides like coffee grounds, ready to pour out in a pile of disappointment if the bones were even looked at the wrong way.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FZaC-xAvMRpjnV3SnHpm9iSXkNvktJfJ7OaOT8Z6YmRUzdwE1Q44uPAjEuDRSxkdU5k_3cnKO9QmwZhlH_w8D6uRwxYAbj-WcSsCqXbiBzSuJiKBPsVUBytATGyLAE270NXSi7a0QW4g/s1600/DSCF9405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FZaC-xAvMRpjnV3SnHpm9iSXkNvktJfJ7OaOT8Z6YmRUzdwE1Q44uPAjEuDRSxkdU5k_3cnKO9QmwZhlH_w8D6uRwxYAbj-WcSsCqXbiBzSuJiKBPsVUBytATGyLAE270NXSi7a0QW4g/s320/DSCF9405.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right foot after prep and restoration</td></tr>
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Any damage was stabilized and repaired as we worked. Missing parts were scanned with an Artec Spider structured light unit and we printed them out using our Form2 SLA printer and the usual PLA filament scribblebots. Molding was quick and straightforward for the most part, though the chest cavity posed a special problem for us. The chest cavity preserved a series of calcified intercostal plates between the ribs, which only start to solidify when the animal hits a ripe old age. These super delicate features prevented us from molding a set of ribs that could be immediately used on the cast, so instead we molded them all as a whole unit, cast them, then modified the casts to fit on the mount, then remolded them. Straightforward, right?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpRg4KkEtpWo-8TqC716VgqeDOOtF1u9s6KvgIXOnsPr_p3LTDHmwi4_zfsmgAg7Yh6L23Oim19KKJsdTtPLDqtN0zyA-pAla9uWag_39ydI9E3-J-eDkFUHcDsZdTRt-tr3FkY1K0t-x/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpRg4KkEtpWo-8TqC716VgqeDOOtF1u9s6KvgIXOnsPr_p3LTDHmwi4_zfsmgAg7Yh6L23Oim19KKJsdTtPLDqtN0zyA-pAla9uWag_39ydI9E3-J-eDkFUHcDsZdTRt-tr3FkY1K0t-x/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posterior dorsal vertebrae</td></tr>
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Assembly was pretty easy as well, though at nearly 14 feet long we were always remarking on how surprisingly big this animal was. It's huge clod-stomper feet came out very well, and since we had calcified cartilage with the specimen, we thought it would be dumb not to include it on the finished mount. In the end we came up with what I think is the very best and most scientifically accurate reconstruction of this poor neglected animal ever attempted. I hope you all like it as much as I do.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_C1o-AbwvdqN9QtetzjqEHBvQGNJDbJOWQ_4bGYQhH9F0mQfJNMSYMCDMiFrg-fZTqVCq0IKOIi1IGLzgmjxxrmi9pBqmmJJWbIW6mzYcGdCOoie1WW1IPwRhpSE2ybzDceO0dp8wuEY/s1600/DSCF9681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_C1o-AbwvdqN9QtetzjqEHBvQGNJDbJOWQ_4bGYQhH9F0mQfJNMSYMCDMiFrg-fZTqVCq0IKOIi1IGLzgmjxxrmi9pBqmmJJWbIW6mzYcGdCOoie1WW1IPwRhpSE2ybzDceO0dp8wuEY/s320/DSCF9681.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished mount, Grace for scale</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9bJioRyIR9v9qUxtakzj1Xnz8pybi3ugQTJhy6sD1t09lUKXfL_4ZvwzHrAa_g0uUpCGb8nscKoprG5ZfVZnHaTXYkiy6F_3Vtw5kkH_GkH8EA9_un4p5zIEHFV8OP4ORZzgnOEgfnDg/s1600/DSCF9685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9bJioRyIR9v9qUxtakzj1Xnz8pybi3ugQTJhy6sD1t09lUKXfL_4ZvwzHrAa_g0uUpCGb8nscKoprG5ZfVZnHaTXYkiy6F_3Vtw5kkH_GkH8EA9_un4p5zIEHFV8OP4ORZzgnOEgfnDg/s320/DSCF9685.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An unusual view highlighting the cartilage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZmiPrHKtFg1-f3SmIVDamE4dJwhH2Pf5-LBqSLXpNiKhprTFW09ZlS45MDZd3Syz6En1XxLHUo2QAqijp9l8Uy3Ku1W2oMmb3s1JLTk9txEklHZy8uJWGJzVI96dYrKNjwfnOuSs9MVx/s1600/DSCF9683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZmiPrHKtFg1-f3SmIVDamE4dJwhH2Pf5-LBqSLXpNiKhprTFW09ZlS45MDZd3Syz6En1XxLHUo2QAqijp9l8Uy3Ku1W2oMmb3s1JLTk9txEklHZy8uJWGJzVI96dYrKNjwfnOuSs9MVx/s320/DSCF9683.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He just looks so dang HAPPY!</td></tr>
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Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-31527506622970550022017-09-22T10:08:00.001-07:002017-09-22T10:13:34.835-07:00Protosphyraena: Like a Swordfish Made Babies With a ChainsawWe're back from SVP 2017 in Calgary, which was an awesome opportunity to debut our prototype <i>Protosphyraena</i> (Proto Proto) skeletal reconstruction. I've been involved with this project for 13 years now, very heavily for the past 4 with my various research projects with Drs. Jeff Liston, Kenshu Shimada, Bruce Schumacher and Matt Friedman. We've published a bunch of papers and talks recently, and there's even more on deck. If you're in Tahiti next week, stop by and hear my talk!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHYLRqL1ka8lSj0RwHqdH5z3lByaKCbfw1gFETrfTdPvSDfQ5FLOH1UfRi5l7E8E6syHIcikc72MtqgGtPYJYibPvksQKTw1bVx_YUdv225tZwuoISn0wi4A23mqNBk8yPOdjK_eJQmCA/s1600/mantell1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="793" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHYLRqL1ka8lSj0RwHqdH5z3lByaKCbfw1gFETrfTdPvSDfQ5FLOH1UfRi5l7E8E6syHIcikc72MtqgGtPYJYibPvksQKTw1bVx_YUdv225tZwuoISn0wi4A23mqNBk8yPOdjK_eJQmCA/s320/mantell1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Copyright Mike Everhart</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsWEn7EG4l79ISatuqieuK0eWgcyVLxG801VZY3YBMDMWo1mxlz-4008iXGWEV9KMUC2iB2hYzPc1fVhN-kIX77GctlX5cLwWDqwrFsHHAs1XO12xULSuRybv81BkmKeJh9SHEZkGOgsr/s1600/protospa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="472" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsWEn7EG4l79ISatuqieuK0eWgcyVLxG801VZY3YBMDMWo1mxlz-4008iXGWEV9KMUC2iB2hYzPc1fVhN-kIX77GctlX5cLwWDqwrFsHHAs1XO12xULSuRybv81BkmKeJh9SHEZkGOgsr/s320/protospa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loomis' reconstruction attempt</td></tr>
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<i>Protosphyraena </i>was a tough nut to crack. The first bits were discovered in the late 1700s in the English chalk and first figured by Gideon Mantell in 1822. It got its name later in the mid 19th Century by Joseph Leidy meaning "early barracuda" due to the flat knife blade shaped teeth. Unfortunately this is what happens when you only have sparse material to work with. <i>Protosphyraena </i>is known now to have a basically worldwide distribution however since the animal has replaced its skeletal bone with cartilage wherever possible, more than isolated bits are extremely difficult to come by. In the Bone Wars of the late 1800s, Cope and Marsh's teams discovered many partial specimens in the Niobrara Chalk of Western Kansas, consisting mostly of isolated pectoral fins and skull bits.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsuTcD15Ke-yZ43FyHKw6DiFfdtfUVH9DgQ0TITnjU0o20Sx-VrjYmUJulC_XScj51lsY7vlHyeyJV4b_9FqwPhHD-lPHB2vVHVmbviKJQDsQYH32pii0p3UYRjnWsNXCWSI9RCKR5ylF/s1600/kansas+2011+trip+3+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsuTcD15Ke-yZ43FyHKw6DiFfdtfUVH9DgQ0TITnjU0o20Sx-VrjYmUJulC_XScj51lsY7vlHyeyJV4b_9FqwPhHD-lPHB2vVHVmbviKJQDsQYH32pii0p3UYRjnWsNXCWSI9RCKR5ylF/s320/kansas+2011+trip+3+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pectoral of P. perniciosa showing saw-tooth edge</td></tr>
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<br />
The skull was amazing, with a long rostrum and forward-directed massive protruding teeth. The fins showed some variation, however the ones attributed to <i>Protosphyraena perniciosa </i>reached nearly a meter in length ad were adorned with saw-like serrated front edges. A tail fin was discovered near the turn of the last century and then one the first reconstructions was attempted by Loomis.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBD3nxBoGVf2I5aXX7f9qClDYQhmJF2HNui5zSojq_OaRQS2wWdohIrDGHQVlVW-IPisOFc9BLaKNAaxNzUiUasbw27b-wQ7JUDLHGUUBNzk9t65CviTCR_IadmmTjd9OQDcsOzF6C0pl/s1600/004+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBD3nxBoGVf2I5aXX7f9qClDYQhmJF2HNui5zSojq_OaRQS2wWdohIrDGHQVlVW-IPisOFc9BLaKNAaxNzUiUasbw27b-wQ7JUDLHGUUBNzk9t65CviTCR_IadmmTjd9OQDcsOzF6C0pl/s320/004+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cast and original parts at beginning, apple for scale</td></tr>
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<br />
Not too shabby based on what they knew. Since the body had such little bone, it was highly unlikely that one would be found, yet the Niobrara as usual was full of surprises. In 2003 Mike Triebold found a partial <i>Protosphyraena </i>skull eroding out of the rocks in western Kansas. The specimen was already missing its rostrum, but a bit of pectoral fin was also visible. He continued excavation and noticed articulated evenly spaced spines, and followed them. They were ribs, hemals and neurals, ans they led to an articulated tail. This was the first "complete" <i>Protosphyraena </i>discovered.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47UWN_7CT4Yj10uF0ykMsjSrSTURzEieofIbqguWZobMniTkMOqKlO7ZJ6crWCai2Xp-YFkF_fStGdvpk1IqrY9G91OjhBR_QRUsc6Q6f2ZKP6YIiXAxTJ5BpiZ_7hB_VSQP2weVWG7mM/s1600/proto+in+situ+overall+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47UWN_7CT4Yj10uF0ykMsjSrSTURzEieofIbqguWZobMniTkMOqKlO7ZJ6crWCai2Xp-YFkF_fStGdvpk1IqrY9G91OjhBR_QRUsc6Q6f2ZKP6YIiXAxTJ5BpiZ_7hB_VSQP2weVWG7mM/s320/proto+in+situ+overall+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dig site pic, the specimen is already uncovered and pedestalled</td></tr>
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<br />
This specimen ended up becoming the "Rosetta Stone" for our reconstruction attempt. Though it was a small example, it gave us tons of information about the body proportions. it kept on giving though, showing the streamer-like pelvic fins and large lobe-shaped "go faster" caudal peduncles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIp5L1aiGWVh9OuUkSBTU8cJuM-OYfQSM_K4-8kz8OWPKE-NJM7NMzMB3xf3ZYnYYwTmGNsCRak-ggylXFlex1XC-t9haaZ_fBG2rT9ydax5ifuamlmiSzJhyphenhyphennQDXr-O-aQR8S33qgQVu/s1600/RMDRC+03-001+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIp5L1aiGWVh9OuUkSBTU8cJuM-OYfQSM_K4-8kz8OWPKE-NJM7NMzMB3xf3ZYnYYwTmGNsCRak-ggylXFlex1XC-t9haaZ_fBG2rT9ydax5ifuamlmiSzJhyphenhyphennQDXr-O-aQR8S33qgQVu/s320/RMDRC+03-001+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "go faster" caudal peduncles</td></tr>
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<br />
We prepared out several specimens of large <i>Protosphyraena </i>in order to have a decent starting point for the reconstruction. One good skull specimen was partially disarticulated, we scanned the gill basket of a second smaller one and reproduced it out at the proper size on our 3D printing rigs. <a href="http://rmdrc.blogspot.com/2011/06/catching-poacher-sorta-kansas-trip-3.html" target="_blank">Our pectoral fin donor specimen was famously covered here as the victim of a poaching attempt in 2011.</a> The original bones were molded and we made multiple copies of the parts so we could cut them up into individual elements. They were later remolded with most of the distortion taken out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KcBHtx67ZnT-J6JIBd2Pzf307k6PRZs_J2gXomOurUFHe3XUkJJXbbUkc6-Ic-rKl0JZGMuITcs1xAihU1V2jRHNaG2qu1hhRSQ9T-VzVobCgQImiTSGj7u00vWUYdQlfmbxZD8qDTxy/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KcBHtx67ZnT-J6JIBd2Pzf307k6PRZs_J2gXomOurUFHe3XUkJJXbbUkc6-Ic-rKl0JZGMuITcs1xAihU1V2jRHNaG2qu1hhRSQ9T-VzVobCgQImiTSGj7u00vWUYdQlfmbxZD8qDTxy/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kid seems bored</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DJwqdFbKM7voz5ffLQVp7DtBDPrfI1ej0z0Olziy4amDS2aUODnQxoruHxhomVmEqjN5wY6iu8zZpbwEGrEIV4q8wY6Z8fiq1tqaQLEKEmqezpuxHoSgDWtsdlYwp_s1fgssl66ZI_BJ/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DJwqdFbKM7voz5ffLQVp7DtBDPrfI1ej0z0Olziy4amDS2aUODnQxoruHxhomVmEqjN5wY6iu8zZpbwEGrEIV4q8wY6Z8fiq1tqaQLEKEmqezpuxHoSgDWtsdlYwp_s1fgssl66ZI_BJ/s320/017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaws attached</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVqG7S3fSQ1iBcVfJnoIg-ymWBMxQ2X2QKSd5LyQQOlariWZk5wdVZ8HGw7JNqiRWdMFW7mstR7QOvu_ohIv_WB1T-cNixQIByhG91L5q-U6nWCpS5ST748Mv20qtEPlR1M_jnw4qjf72/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVqG7S3fSQ1iBcVfJnoIg-ymWBMxQ2X2QKSd5LyQQOlariWZk5wdVZ8HGw7JNqiRWdMFW7mstR7QOvu_ohIv_WB1T-cNixQIByhG91L5q-U6nWCpS5ST748Mv20qtEPlR1M_jnw4qjf72/s320/021.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Complete skull exterior</td></tr>
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<br />
After that, the process was pretty easy! We decided to ignore how bizarre the critter was and just accept that's how these parts fit together, seeing where the reconstruction took us. It tuned out to be stranger than we ever imagined, and a lot bigger too, measuring over 2 meters in length (and flipperspan). We showed it off in Canada and it seemed to be a big hit! Enjoy the photos of the finished mount below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9z8H0VYmxikeNn41E_bsntkpeZ4SchyoGrqRM3OTjlla1utVDm8WumWwbhiU30N4IqGGcRRen8KMFh-edKtn8jg7PTWhkTEa1OEP2PIC8CRSioXSzHShWoKOPiBhdUDXOUOhpwQ00ZRB/s1600/IMG_2477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9z8H0VYmxikeNn41E_bsntkpeZ4SchyoGrqRM3OTjlla1utVDm8WumWwbhiU30N4IqGGcRRen8KMFh-edKtn8jg7PTWhkTEa1OEP2PIC8CRSioXSzHShWoKOPiBhdUDXOUOhpwQ00ZRB/s320/IMG_2477.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm useful as a scalebar sometimes</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws9D44Nrf6gxs3-3bjK6slw7fUvx1_YtTIAnfVP1qmprkQFJ5iN7B2dXA0G0xgrDmgOkQlppoZhylE1lrYXol-z1V-DDj7RlTZaEvNkW0itRktCMKnAUsUVT08lXS_8rdr5OK3o7G00Zw/s1600/Protosphyraena+prototype+down+the+hatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="915" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws9D44Nrf6gxs3-3bjK6slw7fUvx1_YtTIAnfVP1qmprkQFJ5iN7B2dXA0G0xgrDmgOkQlppoZhylE1lrYXol-z1V-DDj7RlTZaEvNkW0itRktCMKnAUsUVT08lXS_8rdr5OK3o7G00Zw/s320/Protosphyraena+prototype+down+the+hatch.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down the hatch!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNKcHj7KK5e-9Wuv0OqZgGT6ltsFt3Ak48kQAOGH27f6VbpxTjfePU6aj_aED5v2NR7_7bSyBtSNu-LVk76yHjNIwQdTxJMFuMiwaxQwJUBcIq30pAZV-44KQOnb1xxouQluxWX3q063B/s1600/Protosphyraena+prototype+from+front+above.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNKcHj7KK5e-9Wuv0OqZgGT6ltsFt3Ak48kQAOGH27f6VbpxTjfePU6aj_aED5v2NR7_7bSyBtSNu-LVk76yHjNIwQdTxJMFuMiwaxQwJUBcIq30pAZV-44KQOnb1xxouQluxWX3q063B/s320/Protosphyraena+prototype+from+front+above.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front view</td></tr>
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-42032439080719669632017-07-05T10:51:00.000-07:002017-07-05T10:51:01.619-07:00Digging a tyrannobuttWe're back from Montana waiting for the temperatures and fire danger to die down for a bit. Earlier this month though we were battling the gnats working on excavating a dinosaur I found late last summer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqhmKu8ws48D-zZsNtleAlK1bktTfnlN5zyh9QjYjEBctNw-0u3tizekOGMwbRUUVyDncIZseLg1dAOcIv1BsK8lBAQDmVxm4RUxKBUCsH3nSjlmj6zQA7T9M-L5A71GAQxg5WpRNW-eh/s1600/20160908_164148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqhmKu8ws48D-zZsNtleAlK1bktTfnlN5zyh9QjYjEBctNw-0u3tizekOGMwbRUUVyDncIZseLg1dAOcIv1BsK8lBAQDmVxm4RUxKBUCsH3nSjlmj6zQA7T9M-L5A71GAQxg5WpRNW-eh/s320/20160908_164148.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you spot the site?</td></tr>
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The site is pretty typical for how I find them: about halfway up a 30 foot cliff with a menacing hoodoo overhanging the specimen. I found this site about 2 days before we broke camp last year so I was only able to do the smallest of evaluation digs on it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAIp6SHC5W29HqKUv0OtP4ML6QQgLSlly_y9ewoByOZeC6-8rPzfzU_ZVWfhCByAkdTOr1p0k12-I7Y4Yd9KieWnFi1xHd9L-4suUysbfzOKKfi0XbarxPO8Z0C1yY-TFX8DeN0Txwa9y/s1600/20160908_140949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAIp6SHC5W29HqKUv0OtP4ML6QQgLSlly_y9ewoByOZeC6-8rPzfzU_ZVWfhCByAkdTOr1p0k12-I7Y4Yd9KieWnFi1xHd9L-4suUysbfzOKKfi0XbarxPO8Z0C1yY-TFX8DeN0Txwa9y/s320/20160908_140949.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bones on either side of an erosional notch: usually a good sign</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Using air tools I was able to notch out a few of the bones. These were clearly large theropod bones, one looked like a caudal vertebra and I couldn't tell what the one shooting straight into the cliff was. Big theropod in the Judith River formation means one thing: Tyrannosaur! I knew I'd be coming back for this site in 2017.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYBgLLPFBA3FmMgo0aSpL8YRyq5kdhB7kEV8EDFdPZhZbnrqQU8moFSuRyz3yFdl3Htvn4H6yUfVR0oZRm4MLDzSOZmO-N8eHykEdsailph_rcyNlFPxXhNPLKBSSy0Q0kD0s67ONxZZZ/s1600/20160908_140946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYBgLLPFBA3FmMgo0aSpL8YRyq5kdhB7kEV8EDFdPZhZbnrqQU8moFSuRyz3yFdl3Htvn4H6yUfVR0oZRm4MLDzSOZmO-N8eHykEdsailph_rcyNlFPxXhNPLKBSSy0Q0kD0s67ONxZZZ/s320/20160908_140946.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duckbills. It had to be duckbills</td></tr>
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Additionally at this site was a big wad of predepositionally broken ornithischian (most likely duckbill) bones under the tyrannosaur material. This gave the impression of a stream or oxbow lake bottom assemblage, but sometimes you find good skeletons mixed in with all this material. Unfortunately with fall closing in, I had to abandon the site till 2017.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfeGsOLBfNlCefxLCpnFP7eRO2zJ0I_abhjZIXwIEeG31MO3nMdrH4RmdFDZ4l4UoNDCOWDsRzZQbJRmIwsiMCuOubZa-b7s1m0JcxBvS6ibJjXm2TS0gX-hTPhVnaQlbXPwCNMcx_RQM/s1600/20160908_133334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfeGsOLBfNlCefxLCpnFP7eRO2zJ0I_abhjZIXwIEeG31MO3nMdrH4RmdFDZ4l4UoNDCOWDsRzZQbJRmIwsiMCuOubZa-b7s1m0JcxBvS6ibJjXm2TS0gX-hTPhVnaQlbXPwCNMcx_RQM/s320/20160908_133334.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storms are no fun in vehicles that lack roofs and windshields</td></tr>
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This year however we came out with our big jackhammer and managed to notch out a decent sized evaluation pit. I wanted to get a better feeling for what was present before I suggested getting a bulldozer out there to knock down the whole cliff.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9_LvMYKFI0DdXAW2ZSC4ClQBN0vQ5zRGT3GacBcV-MXHf7c5oHKCC7PpXK9BAO4rqIYZsPEw2-Tf48NhIoREp5KlqT8ly_hwFGd7tSxkjoxIwV2Ya0tmz1qWUfRrd0jSX3sfRv2gXvLt/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9_LvMYKFI0DdXAW2ZSC4ClQBN0vQ5zRGT3GacBcV-MXHf7c5oHKCC7PpXK9BAO4rqIYZsPEw2-Tf48NhIoREp5KlqT8ly_hwFGd7tSxkjoxIwV2Ya0tmz1qWUfRrd0jSX3sfRv2gXvLt/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The isolated tyrannobutt</td></tr>
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Turns out, it appears it was just an isolated tyrannosaur sacrum with one dorsal vertebra still attached. Not pretty now, but once I prepare it we will see better the shape of the specimen. I'm thinking Albertosaurus, but it's hard to say from this element.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7IeXLWW6q09Cc528Jez4hX6ryPXGKlIlFviezqqZ3IWpQxOAT-zk-Z5EOR2c6E7nRXZ-7T5wqQHcw8xG-BTjcWU2ztUgCNvjPeoNyzSGWznIg9WJ9jR3-FCi-Nxr9Ogrlrh6SijQSx5p/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7IeXLWW6q09Cc528Jez4hX6ryPXGKlIlFviezqqZ3IWpQxOAT-zk-Z5EOR2c6E7nRXZ-7T5wqQHcw8xG-BTjcWU2ztUgCNvjPeoNyzSGWznIg9WJ9jR3-FCi-Nxr9Ogrlrh6SijQSx5p/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of the spines. Bonus duckbill chevron at top left</td></tr>
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It's a bit of a bummer that there wasn't more of this skeleton. It was going in towards the head but it was just not meant to be. I'm happy to find this now before we invested time and resources removing 15 feet of really tough sandstone from the area though. Guess I'll just have to spend the rest of my summer looking for more dinosaurs. It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it!Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-83113254752616907212017-05-03T10:03:00.001-07:002017-05-03T10:03:11.783-07:00First Kansas Trip in the Bag - 2017For the first time in a few years, we've been able to hit the Niobrara outcrops in the spring! Holy crap was it cold. The last day out, I don't think it got above 50 degrees, not that the 40mph winds would make it feel any warmer. Perfectly miserable. And just like clockwork, on our last day, as the sun was setting behind a large row of thunderstorms on the horizon, we found the best skeleton of the trip! The rest of the time was staring at blank ground finding fossil poop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApVJYjSLClheS0OqxwUMkaJTtG_p2s3EoH8VzrI75HazHCxchsnuJaKPob_ZAkyL82H4IKknhl8NIcGlyujAdcCi4OvBzR0A5GSGjh7Mu43KseFUkoXNkcNthTUu7KcPOgBNMyFAILr78/s1600/20170427_135717%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApVJYjSLClheS0OqxwUMkaJTtG_p2s3EoH8VzrI75HazHCxchsnuJaKPob_ZAkyL82H4IKknhl8NIcGlyujAdcCi4OvBzR0A5GSGjh7Mu43KseFUkoXNkcNthTUu7KcPOgBNMyFAILr78/s320/20170427_135717%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at this swirly poop!</td></tr>
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I entertained myself by finding a "nice" <i>Xiphactinus</i> tail. I was instructing a new hire on how to actually find fossils in pretty bleak badlands when I saw just a small fragment of tail fin coming out of the rock. I'm happy I found this one as since we have SO MANY <i>Xiphactinus</i> specimens in storage, we've implemented a "one in, one out" policy on these fish and I've somewhat jokingly insinuated firing anyone that finds another of these darn fish. Our newbies were safe.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmXN197rQacuV6LO19mLrKbHJ0UIgWcU29PKKdim9hzqH9jggXy50aA_2dC6f40Dq1Jor_0mB12sL5_-Mu_GGwNLewEmYi1KqcFoeBoGbBh1Daz_p9w6qoxsrrLKiD7vIXJQGVGnJ5lsy/s1600/20170426_125522%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmXN197rQacuV6LO19mLrKbHJ0UIgWcU29PKKdim9hzqH9jggXy50aA_2dC6f40Dq1Jor_0mB12sL5_-Mu_GGwNLewEmYi1KqcFoeBoGbBh1Daz_p9w6qoxsrrLKiD7vIXJQGVGnJ5lsy/s320/20170426_125522%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, there's a fish tail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx2SQlWV2sunLPkQli0mVQBoR696Eoy8izVBY8w4ZXqdVcTlfBRHg18MKPiW8dBjXsqh9BlHUgrcbWdUgPqLVWbuogFDW8rCrtXObv6ILA4Mm1-1NafkrX60pe6vFtOtUS1cFEbMSa_lg/s1600/Kansas+2017+trip+1+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx2SQlWV2sunLPkQli0mVQBoR696Eoy8izVBY8w4ZXqdVcTlfBRHg18MKPiW8dBjXsqh9BlHUgrcbWdUgPqLVWbuogFDW8rCrtXObv6ILA4Mm1-1NafkrX60pe6vFtOtUS1cFEbMSa_lg/s320/Kansas+2017+trip+1+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesse using a chainsaw to trench around the fossil</td></tr>
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When you find weathered out fish tail chunks, you have to chase them in (even if they're "just" a <i>Xiphactinus</i>). Sometimes the rest of the tail is there. Sometimes there's the rest of a 15 foot long fish attached to it. Sometimes it just ends. In this case, we found a perfect lower lobe of the fin, but no body. As far as we were from the truck, I'm happy we didn't have to make a huge jacket, since those are heavy and I'm getting lazy in my old age.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgoOwh3-lQr2qMyEzgzkoBFyiYtb2Gfb-eizVX0fJa_1cKQujSZtaGK4bRJYLKT8vu2ao9xCIBAtSM50Q6aX23gkPwQXtt4f3jXPPy00aRtJxbu3hmJKZ12IDFnobQ-Pgr5T4smblNBYA/s1600/20170426_145019%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgoOwh3-lQr2qMyEzgzkoBFyiYtb2Gfb-eizVX0fJa_1cKQujSZtaGK4bRJYLKT8vu2ao9xCIBAtSM50Q6aX23gkPwQXtt4f3jXPPy00aRtJxbu3hmJKZ12IDFnobQ-Pgr5T4smblNBYA/s320/20170426_145019%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trenching complete, curatorial boot for scale</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwPQulePfRIT8wdeAd9L7fQM1ncaat2dR_qU-JTAGEwYkkcwVr4VcRKPjD9o5SNLUpMh9i425fOz8nRVZdBI-_x7nlsenzHWCyLMUHqzQFn75mibQuUmwaLxH_8qYV2He5qojexwltPwO/s1600/20170426_151643%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwPQulePfRIT8wdeAd9L7fQM1ncaat2dR_qU-JTAGEwYkkcwVr4VcRKPjD9o5SNLUpMh9i425fOz8nRVZdBI-_x7nlsenzHWCyLMUHqzQFn75mibQuUmwaLxH_8qYV2He5qojexwltPwO/s320/20170426_151643%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacketing complete and ready to flip, other curatorial boot for scale</td></tr>
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Popping it out and prepping it was also quick. Measuring the vertebrae we found it's the exact same size to complete another <i>Xiphactinus</i> specimen we excavated 3 years ago (which just happened to be missing the tail). This will help us out tremendously when we panel mount the animal in the near future.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05p_QSgF-ME3d6o1NVfwWRg6wQsd9ziAMNgb6RaY9HsQeICfLLXJI3cGkL4Y09d0AGRpzBkLy7eWvh2WKawc3wnyO9KG_un4RLy1AKUeGG2BbcsF_SEFljEXQz5XrHyYBR2u4kL8oGIOr/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05p_QSgF-ME3d6o1NVfwWRg6wQsd9ziAMNgb6RaY9HsQeICfLLXJI3cGkL4Y09d0AGRpzBkLy7eWvh2WKawc3wnyO9KG_un4RLy1AKUeGG2BbcsF_SEFljEXQz5XrHyYBR2u4kL8oGIOr/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not too shabby!</td></tr>
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Other stuff was less plentiful on this first trip, but we were lucky enough to find parts of 3 sea turtles, which is always really nice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJWfdSs8oJZcwoqMUIOPV1MHQCRTOaRg51LBRE0NTKXt8b2BDffwTgw6s7Wp5FoQJg908j-Qhd5zNvACwx4OLjoTqKXhpCLje1uvwRK-BKBTAjdhkEV8RbFM9hVwnG3fk3HA2PoMW3aAK/s1600/Kansas+2017+trip+1+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJWfdSs8oJZcwoqMUIOPV1MHQCRTOaRg51LBRE0NTKXt8b2BDffwTgw6s7Wp5FoQJg908j-Qhd5zNvACwx4OLjoTqKXhpCLje1uvwRK-BKBTAjdhkEV8RbFM9hVwnG3fk3HA2PoMW3aAK/s320/Kansas+2017+trip+1+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesse and grace entrusted with power tools to get to a turtle</td></tr>
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And of course at the very last minute, Jesse stumbled on a pretty complete <i>Clidastes</i> skull in an outcrop near where we discovered our gigantic 17 foot <i>Xiphactinus</i> specimen 20 years ago. We worked very hard to excavate the specimen with daylight fading and weather bearing down on us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96GVXVAQYkPfp8R6bqzCO3yluLE7V5DTAr_F0Lm8OJoEGjMXg8y69FAz-29Bp9JgZwxvXJbqgkADQC7DGElOAKabhrqrxVzu19LUXBwYxBMJeX2XtgBkStJw7XLh_yNLBIKjpL6fJ9VaO/s1600/Kansas+2017+trip+1+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96GVXVAQYkPfp8R6bqzCO3yluLE7V5DTAr_F0Lm8OJoEGjMXg8y69FAz-29Bp9JgZwxvXJbqgkADQC7DGElOAKabhrqrxVzu19LUXBwYxBMJeX2XtgBkStJw7XLh_yNLBIKjpL6fJ9VaO/s320/Kansas+2017+trip+1+024.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesse and grace getting Clidastes block ready for jacketing</td></tr>
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The specimen was safely loaded in the truck by headlight, which also made for a really interesting drive through farm fields in the dark at the end of a 14 hour day. Prep is going on right now, so stay tuned to see how this cute little mosasaur turns out!<br />
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-42569331853743578612017-01-13T10:13:00.000-08:002017-01-13T10:13:37.561-08:00The Accidental IchthyornisField identifications are problematic.<br />
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In mid October of this year the weather in Kansas was still warm enough to extend our dig season. That trip was pretty successful, finding a back half of a <i>Protosphyraena </i>and several small fish. Early on, Mike even thought he found another <i>Pteranodon</i> leg.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOCC40Svw2rhgUGeknp9UZgukPpOxHADvoEiI6C63Dzpu1cUMnYIwj85irMDcBHueE23UsEQU0hw49DfpLCgjx0bKfQ0zprN-tITI6mXAmiIQtlf_RQpeEHuqJviD3vREDzbbBoOlQOkJ/s1600/20161016_085146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOCC40Svw2rhgUGeknp9UZgukPpOxHADvoEiI6C63Dzpu1cUMnYIwj85irMDcBHueE23UsEQU0hw49DfpLCgjx0bKfQ0zprN-tITI6mXAmiIQtlf_RQpeEHuqJviD3vREDzbbBoOlQOkJ/s320/20161016_085146.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The drive to the site is a lot tougher when you can't see landmarks</td></tr>
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We came out early in the morning. Man was it foggy. The entire day was supposed to be dedicated to finishing up excavation at several small sites. Since the "<i>Pteranodon </i>leg" site was so small, Mike and Jacob spearheaded the excavation there, while I wandered off to collect a <i>Cimolichthys </i>head and isolated <i>Ichthyodectes </i>site.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKuOB9qjtPxyAm89cqfWFDqoOoqqhsuBI6QXWA2gecb8WxZbwk2ZAaWC5vSPWDpTO3qjz_R0aWSnLHEVFwmwTF7I3tpZNVH0886zqd4S7U2MxiGIuQ9J2998tG5F-B5CvvRZwK8jTOhTg/s1600/Ichthyornis+site+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKuOB9qjtPxyAm89cqfWFDqoOoqqhsuBI6QXWA2gecb8WxZbwk2ZAaWC5vSPWDpTO3qjz_R0aWSnLHEVFwmwTF7I3tpZNVH0886zqd4S7U2MxiGIuQ9J2998tG5F-B5CvvRZwK8jTOhTg/s320/Ichthyornis+site+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several bones coming out at the site as discovered. Definitely not fish.</td></tr>
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The "<i>Pteranodon </i>leg" showed some promising chunks of bone coming out, however inspection as they got down to the bone layer showed not a whole lot was there. Not like the large bones we were hoping to find for a Pterosaur.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIZczkSu8gYR-RUd_v9Xk1IkxFgL0MW6vL5MpNz_vSwGa-Kw3iFCu0Qr1AG0DNzmlMDgRGXzysCFRfZsW1MQDlz_HJcoeGObwmfN68x7ox7aOH5PiuEbkuiK_b_KxttrB7cNEo4PQHWb2/s1600/Ichthyornis+dig+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIZczkSu8gYR-RUd_v9Xk1IkxFgL0MW6vL5MpNz_vSwGa-Kw3iFCu0Qr1AG0DNzmlMDgRGXzysCFRfZsW1MQDlz_HJcoeGObwmfN68x7ox7aOH5PiuEbkuiK_b_KxttrB7cNEo4PQHWb2/s320/Ichthyornis+dig+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's a big hole for such a little block</td></tr>
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Not a huge worry though, we perimeter the sites and very rarely expose the bone in the field, we will just find out what the "<i>Pteranodon </i>leg" looks like when we get back to the lab.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFH8iJwAlnY4TR6sewAdL-UWGh3D5LZMYxr25mC-cUow0M0ZT7r0KqyFBDc2FUfmmWO_dq2zGtUa5agduyC_lD0LFQbjnLJLwtBfaH4iuvrzcUYfzTxxQnqGHzz17-rOFGDDHV1II6kH0K/s1600/Ichthornis+field+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFH8iJwAlnY4TR6sewAdL-UWGh3D5LZMYxr25mC-cUow0M0ZT7r0KqyFBDc2FUfmmWO_dq2zGtUa5agduyC_lD0LFQbjnLJLwtBfaH4iuvrzcUYfzTxxQnqGHzz17-rOFGDDHV1II6kH0K/s320/Ichthornis+field+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob jackets and despairs as I tell him we have to go dig up another fish</td></tr>
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Looking back at the video, just as Jacob began jacketing the specimen, I show up back at the site proudly announcing the discovery of the "Nia" <a href="http://rmdrc.blogspot.com/2016/12/fall-xiphactinus-surprise.html" target="_blank"><i>Xiphactinus</i> site that I blogged about last time</a>. We all decided to drive over to the big fish and start work as the jacket cured. We were so stoked about the big fish that it was about a month later when we finally asked ourselves "Hey! Where did that jacket go?"<br />
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Turns out, we left it sitting there in the field, right next to a regularly visited oil well. Whoops! Over Christmas, Mike returned to the site to see if someone had poached it. Nope, the jacket was still exactly where we had left it. I guess you can say we got dang lucky. Let's never do that again.<br />
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Mike pulled it out and brought it back to the lab, where it sat for a week as I let it dry out (dry chalk behaves better than wet stuff when prepping, especially with small fossils). That's when the Eureka Moment happened: prepping down on the "<i>Pteranodon </i>leg" things weren't looking right. I immediately switched to my microscope, pin vise and very low pressure air abrasion (about 3psi with sodium bicarbonate blast media). My suspicions on the specimen's identity were confirmed when I found teeth. <i>Pteranodon </i>doesn't have teeth, but there's one small thing in the chalk with reptile-textured bone that does have it: a bird! Not only was it a bird, but the only complete articulated skull of <i>Ichthyornis</i>, who had been found only in fairly incomplete form since Marsh's days in the 1870s. This accidental and overlooked jacket suddenly turned into one of the rarest finds in the entire 160 year history of fossil hunting in the Niobrara.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3t-kJmWd_1ezGWA_lTk3fJ3y3R2EEwk7HRJwgmUsHmjeqEKzWZf3ZfdXSC37kLTxVrF7BtO5_xUk-rFJ6o7aQYVI8nURbMTr8vhGRv96f3fqI99fJc30Wo_m4yk09MHUXiGNzhiTMyhL/s1600/20170102_164542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3t-kJmWd_1ezGWA_lTk3fJ3y3R2EEwk7HRJwgmUsHmjeqEKzWZf3ZfdXSC37kLTxVrF7BtO5_xUk-rFJ6o7aQYVI8nURbMTr8vhGRv96f3fqI99fJc30Wo_m4yk09MHUXiGNzhiTMyhL/s320/20170102_164542.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird teeth, just a few milimeters long</td></tr>
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Stay tuned for project updates as we work on this spectacular fossil.<br />
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-352394343706887102016-12-21T10:33:00.000-08:002016-12-21T10:33:05.057-08:00Fall Xiphactinus SurpriseLet's go to Kansas they said. We'll find some marine reptiles they said. It'll be fun they said. Boy, were they wrong!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Kh0u36l-S3wdmPnDGPoVJ6FCboI9eTId3Alf8wmrqvTwreL7mhTieeO69uw_TKruuPdcVyKycXF6dFRsnLlvGflhqTPauVcww2-LPI5Q3Lxyf-6dg6-4i800xnFQze_4ujYnTA-NBfYe/s1600/DSCF9261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Kh0u36l-S3wdmPnDGPoVJ6FCboI9eTId3Alf8wmrqvTwreL7mhTieeO69uw_TKruuPdcVyKycXF6dFRsnLlvGflhqTPauVcww2-LPI5Q3Lxyf-6dg6-4i800xnFQze_4ujYnTA-NBfYe/s320/DSCF9261.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October is tarantula migration season</td></tr>
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Doing fieldwork in Kansas at the end of October is pretty rare for us, but we lucked out with the weather and spent a few days hitting outcrops we hadn't been on in a few years. It's important for them to go through an erosive "refresh cycle" so that we can find new stuff on the same ground. In just the first day we found the remains of a partial <i>Pteranodon sternbergi </i>and a few cool small fish. Mike and Jacob were working on excavating <i>Pteranodon </i>#6 of the year and I was finishing up jacketing a nice <i>Ichthyodectes ctenodon </i>specimen and had a little time to kill, so I wandered off to the south a little bit to scout for some cool treasures. I had been over the area just a few yeas before, so I was expecting something small.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBNDIg43PF1W4R1kL4GVKuXDMDXmQneXMGG14ErZpaaH94I2iFafmEySvvICFCgdf0iH6ArLv3evex3vOCISjJSNiujtHUSYjR8UtEj7Ue9a8c0pYPy57kIsdxl9Sa-UM8hA3eGAsy4ri/s1600/DSCF9280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBNDIg43PF1W4R1kL4GVKuXDMDXmQneXMGG14ErZpaaH94I2iFafmEySvvICFCgdf0iH6ArLv3evex3vOCISjJSNiujtHUSYjR8UtEj7Ue9a8c0pYPy57kIsdxl9Sa-UM8hA3eGAsy4ri/s320/DSCF9280.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5RSnf17_dhMdI8rhrCwj9-mVzwqjPMm0Z6HS9TwPdV5MpAzcn76SSC5yosRWV2KnbM0O1DSZOPXeGskgcxiKWaOxJ3FyXlJ3lZeVSPBGJa6tPX9hRsRFMWnvFcXBxFQAIZWtszmRJazs/s1600/20161016_105601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5RSnf17_dhMdI8rhrCwj9-mVzwqjPMm0Z6HS9TwPdV5MpAzcn76SSC5yosRWV2KnbM0O1DSZOPXeGskgcxiKWaOxJ3FyXlJ3lZeVSPBGJa6tPX9hRsRFMWnvFcXBxFQAIZWtszmRJazs/s320/20161016_105601.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curator at digsite for scale</td></tr>
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That's when I accidentally found the biggest fish of my career laying on its left side. I nicknamed it "Nia". She's a <i>Xiphactinus audax </i>over 17 feet long when whole, with pectoral fins each 2 feet long.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbx5zRU3xd1GARVYs_e_jeT9sfmOGd1ZINpStI3S730SItQggH0eXudv1PJg5SGydtQPjO8UdQ77G5AuxNhRq3nQNjcZUJlvTZuF-tZk1nQMNhyphenhyphen_OwiNTgKWxTtijgzd2RF1eLFBT_X2M/s1600/DSCF9278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbx5zRU3xd1GARVYs_e_jeT9sfmOGd1ZINpStI3S730SItQggH0eXudv1PJg5SGydtQPjO8UdQ77G5AuxNhRq3nQNjcZUJlvTZuF-tZk1nQMNhyphenhyphen_OwiNTgKWxTtijgzd2RF1eLFBT_X2M/s320/DSCF9278.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a serious lack of overburden at first</td></tr>
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Luckily overburden wasn't a big problem at first, with an average of about 4 inches (100mm) of chalk over the specimen. Digging in though, the articulated strand of ribs, spines and vertebrae were pointed straight into the outcrop wall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8LVQ57QvqLYT1HzuD7dMxgrJ5qjnt1md5yJLWxfekW_uV3mJfvu_VdQciTOKRGgyXohMVvdfhQFgREb9VeudyAIDLONN60M5agyTZdUkI1Z3953WkTW29dMW9O5u-FO3fCPWJRAHWglR/s1600/DSCF9282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8LVQ57QvqLYT1HzuD7dMxgrJ5qjnt1md5yJLWxfekW_uV3mJfvu_VdQciTOKRGgyXohMVvdfhQFgREb9VeudyAIDLONN60M5agyTZdUkI1Z3953WkTW29dMW9O5u-FO3fCPWJRAHWglR/s320/DSCF9282.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Expanding the digsite</td></tr>
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The Niobrara sea was chock full of predators ready and willing to scavenge a dead animal, and they didn't pay Nia any respect either. We discovered a half dozen shed <i>Squalicorax</i> <i>falcatus </i>teeth in the head area, lost while taking chunks of meat off the carcass. Unfortunately (or mercifully, depending on how you see it) the body was bitten off about 5 feet from the start of the dig.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFumOt9LYV9147_Nk5esGjZFXZ6uk30LrV16-ZIZQvOXygo1db5kBOWXQ02Q_1cw31eLmEwDFWzAWmfx-5ZDygtL6mShKBbmvFZkMx9x4DkPgG7qYTGI8j58wUr2AgzJ-UjLbEwYLDrTD/s1600/20161017_120822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFumOt9LYV9147_Nk5esGjZFXZ6uk30LrV16-ZIZQvOXygo1db5kBOWXQ02Q_1cw31eLmEwDFWzAWmfx-5ZDygtL6mShKBbmvFZkMx9x4DkPgG7qYTGI8j58wUr2AgzJ-UjLbEwYLDrTD/s320/20161017_120822.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob driving a chalk-splitting chisel under the big jacket</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4r-iZtpTQV-zuLB8-mY7sYgunGcuj-PH6pvKalBr_XMxQRcmatluitoevbqPB4Kjz2pR2VWfgpbLr0DcmiVPqlmqmaVIvfSCO9MXX3d2CGlMh3cI3-s3ztaIo6vlxXBanaaqD40p55Bd/s1600/20161017_121713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4r-iZtpTQV-zuLB8-mY7sYgunGcuj-PH6pvKalBr_XMxQRcmatluitoevbqPB4Kjz2pR2VWfgpbLr0DcmiVPqlmqmaVIvfSCO9MXX3d2CGlMh3cI3-s3ztaIo6vlxXBanaaqD40p55Bd/s320/20161017_121713.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How the specimen flipped in the field</td></tr>
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Jacketing was a bit tough and we anticipated some problems with a huge flat jacket in soft weathered chalk. We feared a collapse (like that one other <i>Xiphactinus </i>I found a few years back that I nicknamed "Bea Arthur") so we did everything possible to try to get the specimen out safely. It still fell out, but to our amazement, almost all the bones remained in place in the jacket!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MFDZ9pninvOrnhgTyurYIGysR4SqCcSO8marTyKCjUdPXlZKDT0DRdR2EmcoX96KTKIFqvHvCiwldWmfFOF6aa8AJsQ3Ou0kB6jUflYm-PiquhHCVkFLOXkAEEDqgj-l5FPiEfgxIbZ_/s1600/DSCF9316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MFDZ9pninvOrnhgTyurYIGysR4SqCcSO8marTyKCjUdPXlZKDT0DRdR2EmcoX96KTKIFqvHvCiwldWmfFOF6aa8AJsQ3Ou0kB6jUflYm-PiquhHCVkFLOXkAEEDqgj-l5FPiEfgxIbZ_/s320/DSCF9316.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Show prepped main jacket</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIYVwGL7V0QQtQ-pvLWdf2U-367JROjO4nvLxMhYsMjfQ_gy5ViEGyvh45Tj-Ap37wapbDxtYJYQYWsJkWTPKBWvBn2FIKAa5xGqgTIeRWLDbz50KYKuXRJvZTq5TG4Manvo4xyCHh6nP/s1600/DSCF9320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIYVwGL7V0QQtQ-pvLWdf2U-367JROjO4nvLxMhYsMjfQ_gy5ViEGyvh45Tj-Ap37wapbDxtYJYQYWsJkWTPKBWvBn2FIKAa5xGqgTIeRWLDbz50KYKuXRJvZTq5TG4Manvo4xyCHh6nP/s320/DSCF9320.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rest of the jaws will go back in place later</td></tr>
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Show prepping took a long time because of how soft the bones were. I got it into the "pretty enough" stage and now Nia is in storage, waiting for her turn to be turned into a spectacular panel mount.<br />
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-73062099497400433772016-11-10T08:05:00.000-08:002016-11-10T08:05:07.346-08:00Reconstructing Chelosphargis: What to do with a pile of bonesWe spend a lot of time in Kansas hunting for specimens in the Niobrara chalk. A whole lot of time. Luckily the soft chalk erodes pretty quickly so we also find a whole lot of stuff. Occasionally though, other people also get lucky and we'll happily take the specimen off their hands. In early 2015 this exact scenario played out. You may have seen the result at our display booth at SVP this year in Salt Lake City, overshadowed by our exciting mount of our <i>Daspletosaurus </i>"Pete III"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaaSIMKcXqBMHIWcNLpp9TNoBskIC1OdcjCH2XlNnITP4sNY5nzfKUhPqtEFMfhhXs_5T5Uu3KUGkx29Lc3mRC4QX5_TY5McnTwC6LEZJcAwX6fAFVu_RL0hYKTTNnilIxLBd5tqTw5d3/s1600/kansas+2011+trip+3+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaaSIMKcXqBMHIWcNLpp9TNoBskIC1OdcjCH2XlNnITP4sNY5nzfKUhPqtEFMfhhXs_5T5Uu3KUGkx29Lc3mRC4QX5_TY5McnTwC6LEZJcAwX6fAFVu_RL0hYKTTNnilIxLBd5tqTw5d3/s320/kansas+2011+trip+3+012.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curator shadow selfie while digging in Kansas recently</td></tr>
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A poorly collected turtle specimen from the chalk was being shown around looking for a buyer, While the collection techniques caused some damage to the fossil, it was plain to see a fairly complete tiny Protostegid was encased in the slabs of yellow rock.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9__icgtEzW-fQ5lSEtdY2LCJ0vh2SvWCG7wIUTx6TGOnu8cFXJJx1D5VFKlyOeu51iikWrj3bbXvbpCiC-eC8V90u5ne37gWXFSX1YsZ18iY56XHxLQpeyfeLkuFJH4yrLqmFoIjbD4w/s1600/20150218_161911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9__icgtEzW-fQ5lSEtdY2LCJ0vh2SvWCG7wIUTx6TGOnu8cFXJJx1D5VFKlyOeu51iikWrj3bbXvbpCiC-eC8V90u5ne37gWXFSX1YsZ18iY56XHxLQpeyfeLkuFJH4yrLqmFoIjbD4w/s320/20150218_161911.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So, this is how we got it. Clearly not how we would collect a specimen.</td></tr>
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Most importantly, almost all of the skull was there, which is really nice. We immediately acquired the specimen and prepared the parts. Quickly it became evident we had a older subadult specimen of the relatively rare taxon <i>Chelosphargis advena</i>, an 84 million year old relative of the much larger <i>Protostega </i>and <i>Archelon</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivupusgjeHA29pN7uQqIpgGxCsaoY6uj9RuNwdPRT5ED4xF-495TeHQIsRrYRfYK_lzdQYn3R_d6kIp_zAjcx8QKkbVH12grc-G-E8zfgdThNf5Zlsh-KEwB6Qsjk4rM_O8-IaWawmg7Jo/s1600/IMG_1392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivupusgjeHA29pN7uQqIpgGxCsaoY6uj9RuNwdPRT5ED4xF-495TeHQIsRrYRfYK_lzdQYn3R_d6kIp_zAjcx8QKkbVH12grc-G-E8zfgdThNf5Zlsh-KEwB6Qsjk4rM_O8-IaWawmg7Jo/s320/IMG_1392.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The parts after prep</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RMZmsqflQHEkKw7GK6wc592Acem2RZ1BQGp0egyfhWjB8NPTrZC6QRRS3T3X6Ksie1EsXUa_aNM3w_xkNAefiajxU3_NlspWn9J5gm93un7xbaHJV50gioN8a99RZ61r7YrURB32XCpq/s1600/20150219_170035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RMZmsqflQHEkKw7GK6wc592Acem2RZ1BQGp0egyfhWjB8NPTrZC6QRRS3T3X6Ksie1EsXUa_aNM3w_xkNAefiajxU3_NlspWn9J5gm93un7xbaHJV50gioN8a99RZ61r7YrURB32XCpq/s320/20150219_170035.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skull partway through prep</td></tr>
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As you can see, most of the animal was there, in fact it's one of the most complete <i>Chelosphargis </i>specimens ever discovered. But what do you do with a pile of bones once they're all prepared? We're one of the few places with the knowledge, experience and capability to do a complete cast restoration without damaging the original bones. The first step was to mold everything as-is, so we can have parts (sometimes even multiples) to work with.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXVI55M7cIDLfKM_KO-1ZWv44FuA1XrUYf1Dx-vOm3yAWBthTQaC0t6JR9ply7oF93g9ViSfZm3idxlRuLk8ia9c8UUm_aw5i4BufRNHGEpXnAmDZ_BNQGvCWyFM8eTYmXqSQRUEGXn1a/s1600/IMG_2224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXVI55M7cIDLfKM_KO-1ZWv44FuA1XrUYf1Dx-vOm3yAWBthTQaC0t6JR9ply7oF93g9ViSfZm3idxlRuLk8ia9c8UUm_aw5i4BufRNHGEpXnAmDZ_BNQGvCWyFM8eTYmXqSQRUEGXn1a/s320/IMG_2224.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cast skull copies getting cut and shaped to take out distortion</td></tr>
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Distortion is taken out of the plastic and missing parts are either fabricated from similar ones from this animal, scanned in and resized from other specimens, or in rare cases done the old way with sculpting from reference material.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3ZCsF_Y4PEoGVwp4YK4bkdeKrdDgzT8IomzQMhtFOTsxsvMajIiw_YCeRjhggIp4zH7eC8XHDGt4PAleEj07SBbRb74MwCrFHo1kocNuzpIe6P2Kq6FF3d4DUSZ-l_oPpAdrXNmfuzah/s1600/IMG_2205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3ZCsF_Y4PEoGVwp4YK4bkdeKrdDgzT8IomzQMhtFOTsxsvMajIiw_YCeRjhggIp4zH7eC8XHDGt4PAleEj07SBbRb74MwCrFHo1kocNuzpIe6P2Kq6FF3d4DUSZ-l_oPpAdrXNmfuzah/s320/IMG_2205.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carapace getting parts added and completed</td></tr>
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The restored parts are then molded again in units so that we can make our final copy and offer it to museums and the general public as a highly detailed cast skeletal mount, perfect for display anywhere. The entire project only takes a few weeks, but the result is pretty phenomenal!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzALOuNv8LYaUnGIxZC4R4KGZYWPLXcJb50zB4usuwZn6zvO9mFpX-C-88ya0n2N1Da4rLikqOVY4zmz3bs0J5-XZtr1ovmjx1b8RdkUuNfnZ93pKPsXRZe3gm9raOXaNokCBU2XGdfKC/s1600/Chelo+adult+below+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzALOuNv8LYaUnGIxZC4R4KGZYWPLXcJb50zB4usuwZn6zvO9mFpX-C-88ya0n2N1Da4rLikqOVY4zmz3bs0J5-XZtr1ovmjx1b8RdkUuNfnZ93pKPsXRZe3gm9raOXaNokCBU2XGdfKC/s320/Chelo+adult+below+front.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final product!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJavd44cIofsVpguQOSothuFLO0vOQKV4cIDYCrMogJv_x36BbkJ3wTp5oIOp8iVm-Yso9jR0kemhp7eHdmAECEYF58sZObUIdbWASyExknC62EiO7Y5vUjx9O-f-HpbX0tLE6nFXMPee/s1600/Chelo+adult+below+right.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJavd44cIofsVpguQOSothuFLO0vOQKV4cIDYCrMogJv_x36BbkJ3wTp5oIOp8iVm-Yso9jR0kemhp7eHdmAECEYF58sZObUIdbWASyExknC62EiO7Y5vUjx9O-f-HpbX0tLE6nFXMPee/s320/Chelo+adult+below+right.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-87641307842804438972016-08-24T11:39:00.001-07:002016-08-24T11:39:26.040-07:00We're still out doing fieldworkThe glamour of digging holes in the ground while battling flies and heatstroke. Come for the stuck side by side, stay for me breaking a 2x4 with my brute strength! Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-52936347724592959482016-08-05T09:02:00.003-07:002016-08-05T09:03:02.143-07:00It's field season againWandering around Montana means lack of blog updates, but we're at least finding a few new dinosaurs. Here's a few good pictures from our first trip out to the badlands. Back out soon to work a few hadrosaur and ceratopsian sites in the blistering heat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKeeKj9U8tKeURWBJQeWy_i3jwKT7Ru0HsrhtbqGOllbcxOIQW0E5N6-BnMCy9-xXekiM0F6NLGS-ELPuAmH9J1McEto2Pwv2C9GTyWOwU-yCUbNCxnaNjD1kHAm1cQa3L79NMmT7jV60/s1600/DSCF9158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKeeKj9U8tKeURWBJQeWy_i3jwKT7Ru0HsrhtbqGOllbcxOIQW0E5N6-BnMCy9-xXekiM0F6NLGS-ELPuAmH9J1McEto2Pwv2C9GTyWOwU-yCUbNCxnaNjD1kHAm1cQa3L79NMmT7jV60/s320/DSCF9158.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big mother wolf spider with the kiddos</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRdFpz_CBZUsN0yWrFRelPCvt_h5Bgdr-VWyd8vlwZoFNLmXVXv8J9IYIlGFqAfdXhiQ64h_naWiC28Ofl_IAN2HJBpGmEVbvIjzdutMuSJG8XW6k0bjf-pNmM759zj6XwwSjGQCD9g08/s1600/DSCF9159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRdFpz_CBZUsN0yWrFRelPCvt_h5Bgdr-VWyd8vlwZoFNLmXVXv8J9IYIlGFqAfdXhiQ64h_naWiC28Ofl_IAN2HJBpGmEVbvIjzdutMuSJG8XW6k0bjf-pNmM759zj6XwwSjGQCD9g08/s320/DSCF9159.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinosaurs hide everywhere</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQduPszvphhjEQJmKrSh04Bf2kAOfm5nW1GxBx8ZVidnJhr2v1vYztf04eVAVKCDLX4yEB3HTm-6aYNI7ToNlW1f2fsrMLyovc40fjs2sNC36Q1M1uDmhO_JD5IDeZf5MiXwOxPeik9bxd/s1600/DSCF9179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQduPszvphhjEQJmKrSh04Bf2kAOfm5nW1GxBx8ZVidnJhr2v1vYztf04eVAVKCDLX4yEB3HTm-6aYNI7ToNlW1f2fsrMLyovc40fjs2sNC36Q1M1uDmhO_JD5IDeZf5MiXwOxPeik9bxd/s320/DSCF9179.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob and I load a huge (4 foot plus) duckbill tibia into the truck</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcSA5cbYLw1GeSajwsbJB_nIvY8LSPsuu82LcORx2IhsUrDI9jbk7icUErLaLUDdYlKPQGmD38BLaFB_phDKtBExXCF5zWFjWa3tvUCXn-WyNHtyGzAR2ISFAF0F178AwfGq0R3e-SkWD/s1600/Montana+7+22+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcSA5cbYLw1GeSajwsbJB_nIvY8LSPsuu82LcORx2IhsUrDI9jbk7icUErLaLUDdYlKPQGmD38BLaFB_phDKtBExXCF5zWFjWa3tvUCXn-WyNHtyGzAR2ISFAF0F178AwfGq0R3e-SkWD/s320/Montana+7+22+2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes the dinosaurs hide really well</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGpkhV9nHdYhhOZ-4maq8ptkpQnjMyGV0_MahgPcSmBlFdBo_cRO1oVoRxmWDI3jcYXa59riFEtmZMWD075WSyFsSfnoSK_7JkkZ7MbnTEBfgHMDlvaXNGQPbQ6JefYVfV2a5SqTwtxpA/s1600/DSCF9160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGpkhV9nHdYhhOZ-4maq8ptkpQnjMyGV0_MahgPcSmBlFdBo_cRO1oVoRxmWDI3jcYXa59riFEtmZMWD075WSyFsSfnoSK_7JkkZ7MbnTEBfgHMDlvaXNGQPbQ6JefYVfV2a5SqTwtxpA/s320/DSCF9160.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curatorial boot for scale, another duckbill site</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiVvJf_ZaMajKtmVOVdHkrkTICiREXG6flUCHwVFRaSzT6JzQVS3APEqdEgBsZAV44ONY_VEcgN6Df-a3VH2OOCNrizqzDUk846p8X6fzXbkdsuJeV_BmzPgPK8bQM9MZufplHHIweCZC/s1600/DSCF9166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiVvJf_ZaMajKtmVOVdHkrkTICiREXG6flUCHwVFRaSzT6JzQVS3APEqdEgBsZAV44ONY_VEcgN6Df-a3VH2OOCNrizqzDUk846p8X6fzXbkdsuJeV_BmzPgPK8bQM9MZufplHHIweCZC/s320/DSCF9166.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes geology needs to be shown who's boss with power tools.</td></tr>
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Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-47846937100802839392016-05-27T09:26:00.000-07:002016-05-27T09:26:34.940-07:00Pete III finished. For now.Just for the weekend, the prototype cast of our <i>Daspletosaurus</i> Pete III (RMDRC 06-005) will be shown off in the atrium of the museum, before it gets decent photographs and heads to its forever home. Yes, it has a 2006 specimen number.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSs7n2AqwazkCRWZQYah1_FsQu0FEZjZ6HnvPurKiSFzU6AYS8F-eGYuNYZcsiy0BnxVzQWEEgBYErAFA9LXgkiYUxG2pld2zGLXDX2HSoPNy8RFCs8z7JzPyyc9YFtsniOdot5uStjg-X/s1600/Dinosuar+week%252C+Montana%252C+July+2005+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSs7n2AqwazkCRWZQYah1_FsQu0FEZjZ6HnvPurKiSFzU6AYS8F-eGYuNYZcsiy0BnxVzQWEEgBYErAFA9LXgkiYUxG2pld2zGLXDX2HSoPNy8RFCs8z7JzPyyc9YFtsniOdot5uStjg-X/s320/Dinosuar+week%252C+Montana%252C+July+2005+046.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original site as found/explored in July 2005. We were so young.</td></tr>
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We've been working on this for a decade. I'm not sure if I should take the day off to celebrate, or take advantage of the free time of getting a huge project off my plate and start something new and exciting. In the meantime, enjoy some of the snowy photos, better well-lit ones to come in a week.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSLb8E0865cFGSK5s02MwFRnTWlQdlxubf0iRaJzEWyQgdQyWZr2ZkA0mxDwA-8Z4dj6MyhS-xl_L-NVqCB0H-Fzi2da6AiOXOzFJFdH2RIyTer34JtJoCTRasDSzdXYGjyqMQwpViICA/s1600/DSCF9052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSLb8E0865cFGSK5s02MwFRnTWlQdlxubf0iRaJzEWyQgdQyWZr2ZkA0mxDwA-8Z4dj6MyhS-xl_L-NVqCB0H-Fzi2da6AiOXOzFJFdH2RIyTer34JtJoCTRasDSzdXYGjyqMQwpViICA/s320/DSCF9052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So, this is what a pile of Daspletosaurus looks like</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREUGmCl2L_BdlP553OH5PkKGkDhH4yfmbQFVWKFyu_lWd_9nZcb-ReQzJTJXJsB3QFMzzwt1fYT0Wyrvym5AQ5G2XQyCD6diFn9Sb-SvQKKMsgodlAaA4sHsZLMjyQ-caqZkvU1FQ1UEF/s1600/DSCF9057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREUGmCl2L_BdlP553OH5PkKGkDhH4yfmbQFVWKFyu_lWd_9nZcb-ReQzJTJXJsB3QFMzzwt1fYT0Wyrvym5AQ5G2XQyCD6diFn9Sb-SvQKKMsgodlAaA4sHsZLMjyQ-caqZkvU1FQ1UEF/s320/DSCF9057.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It just looks like such a fast critter, not like dumpy Tyrannosaurus</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yeyj4FeoB4buh_SXEcwq0VluBOSLzNxzMj5UmOdw5EyuCIxAEpKeJx1BmvSAGnUygDBB6gl1UF67D_NQBolsWoborf2ILazCbeNg30rbbcVPQzNpvgh-qWaqbXUPFO_mWAJlfEjH-RWk/s1600/DSCF9063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yeyj4FeoB4buh_SXEcwq0VluBOSLzNxzMj5UmOdw5EyuCIxAEpKeJx1BmvSAGnUygDBB6gl1UF67D_NQBolsWoborf2ILazCbeNg30rbbcVPQzNpvgh-qWaqbXUPFO_mWAJlfEjH-RWk/s320/DSCF9063.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearly 11m of birdy goodness</td></tr>
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-64294079239799203942016-04-27T15:17:00.000-07:002016-04-27T15:17:01.662-07:00Daspletosaurus Assembly: Building a Frightful LizardThere is actually a very good reason why I haven't updated this blog in a while: We've been up to our armpits in the lab building the prototype cast copy of Pete III, our 11m Daspletosaurus.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyt7esukojKP1N-hi_14UNUGuGRn9vcobz6pkgVZDCIz3FWBidEpiXLABbqh-7TmMPqehXrx1PSz9K_5QGkgFfInIG5YrWlWmCNoCJx7dZwUoaztyKt_kfrVOv_rtMzcxau3DPrhSoYJGY/s1600/20160215_151836%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyt7esukojKP1N-hi_14UNUGuGRn9vcobz6pkgVZDCIz3FWBidEpiXLABbqh-7TmMPqehXrx1PSz9K_5QGkgFfInIG5YrWlWmCNoCJx7dZwUoaztyKt_kfrVOv_rtMzcxau3DPrhSoYJGY/s320/20160215_151836%255B1%255D.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ilium cast fresh in the mold</td></tr>
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Progress is going quick by Academic standards, and we hope to finish the cast by early May.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8rYR1xzZy7yfYwn6nnPUkogfp6s88GeAbYZ-gOgMppMNDsPEH5jtrPsWIyYT5TUreh6Zm7SMJPXaqPG4PdXgYvYfKYEepol5JMLLKIft7ztFUIUT_337jyyZSWn5mzQ0ZCei3zkQbXfx/s1600/20160302_160316%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8rYR1xzZy7yfYwn6nnPUkogfp6s88GeAbYZ-gOgMppMNDsPEH5jtrPsWIyYT5TUreh6Zm7SMJPXaqPG4PdXgYvYfKYEepol5JMLLKIft7ztFUIUT_337jyyZSWn5mzQ0ZCei3zkQbXfx/s320/20160302_160316%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both feet before assembly</td></tr>
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Jacob and I called "dibs" on making this skeleton, since we've been working on the project for 10 years.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgphBj-uVBgT-tQz28rbQQVKdV1h0W0O03SX2IW0qzowpuRpqleUEztq5H4nX4_E5NlWqQMtRkpRUkgOdSH0P374CRSnvaFPpZd8k5UbBKKE2g2Uh4llwUlVpB3RtFFFyYRpoFD7bEQ66/s1600/20160315_160303%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgphBj-uVBgT-tQz28rbQQVKdV1h0W0O03SX2IW0qzowpuRpqleUEztq5H4nX4_E5NlWqQMtRkpRUkgOdSH0P374CRSnvaFPpZd8k5UbBKKE2g2Uh4llwUlVpB3RtFFFyYRpoFD7bEQ66/s320/20160315_160303%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We just admired this for a few days</td></tr>
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It really is a great thing to see all this hard work finally amount to something tangible</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tCr5rUVEAedJIRmsu9VNAvKM45DGMJzt9_2u1-19fBCX2ig04wDG3c2aNxh-fGXa9JQukGztz_jYHxtIxbe14yvd0hI6-UskJHsPBUqLYrCKC6c7CK7j3v1KMVSrDOy1FzPeBHiNyuPA/s1600/20160330_154444%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tCr5rUVEAedJIRmsu9VNAvKM45DGMJzt9_2u1-19fBCX2ig04wDG3c2aNxh-fGXa9JQukGztz_jYHxtIxbe14yvd0hI6-UskJHsPBUqLYrCKC6c7CK7j3v1KMVSrDOy1FzPeBHiNyuPA/s320/20160330_154444%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making the pubis. It is no longer blue</td></tr>
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Plus everyone loves a huge tyrannosaur, especially one way more rare than T. rex.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfFAtgN0OgqxfxDbjgvOKtxaL333XKBN3GfniKm1ktDcvyGtGki0-XbCYuG9qJ67Jaxd4txr1iK0L100SzrV_Ze7Wq5nKqRz_ylqkhWbWq5l4ArBMAP1VgIhqEtISGBHpnw5uUjQwu6St/s1600/20160414_170549%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfFAtgN0OgqxfxDbjgvOKtxaL333XKBN3GfniKm1ktDcvyGtGki0-XbCYuG9qJ67Jaxd4txr1iK0L100SzrV_Ze7Wq5nKqRz_ylqkhWbWq5l4ArBMAP1VgIhqEtISGBHpnw5uUjQwu6St/s320/20160414_170549%255B1%255D.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Progress as of a few days ago. Tail is 17 feet (5.2m) long</td></tr>
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Stay tuned for some more exciting progress really soon. We're finishing the neck, working out the gastral basket and have a few cervical ribs to go. </div>
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-37743891227821190672016-02-08T15:23:00.002-08:002016-02-08T15:23:24.336-08:00Viva la Muppetfish! 2 new species of Rhinconichthys unleashed.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMQC4-iHvt3QAdQHakeBUwJIcW_HYnrQbE9kLoHRd1hKwewV25QMuusXHa7ER0BKkH1UW7jB4gxnN-5Rs5LJHzTiCsa2rKcKZWCS0e-1BzqAu_q3Pr-tNFwdjpCq-7W-o-mse0eQl_xTc/s1600/Muppetfish+%2528c%2529Nicholls2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMQC4-iHvt3QAdQHakeBUwJIcW_HYnrQbE9kLoHRd1hKwewV25QMuusXHa7ER0BKkH1UW7jB4gxnN-5Rs5LJHzTiCsa2rKcKZWCS0e-1BzqAu_q3Pr-tNFwdjpCq-7W-o-mse0eQl_xTc/s320/Muppetfish+%2528c%2529Nicholls2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob Nicholls's excellent reconstruction of Rhinconichthys purgatoirensis</td></tr>
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So, we've been working on a little public/private partnership project for the past 2 1/2 years here at the RMDRC. In 2013 while he was helping advise on our <i>Megacephalosaurus eulerti</i> skull restoration, Dr. Bruce Schumacher, a paleontologist from the US Forest Service, approached me with a fossil specimen he had collected from the Comanche National Grassland in Southeastern Colorado. From what he showed me, I could tell it was a pachycormid, and one of those toothless specimens I am so fond of preparing. I had never been so giddy about a fish head in a concretion before!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpokcxi_oc87seL2RWp27hjOYHqWN-ZBG9VjqGDmOSmpA7tNi8jrXVG2RzGat1b9IO2JSXJ99Y9-gObEVuvCUMxM49L8-0tt5QdKCZnMF63wfOwpg2COsXnPia1LH7JW8NoG5tl__atF0/s1600/Kevin+Lindahl+exposing+fish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpokcxi_oc87seL2RWp27hjOYHqWN-ZBG9VjqGDmOSmpA7tNi8jrXVG2RzGat1b9IO2JSXJ99Y9-gObEVuvCUMxM49L8-0tt5QdKCZnMF63wfOwpg2COsXnPia1LH7JW8NoG5tl__atF0/s320/Kevin+Lindahl+exposing+fish.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin Lindahl as he discovered the specimen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZoJd4ePjJhaCyawq69RuYfmdZWE9UV3fz1lpGOJN4uSV377qar3AK5YOhdkgFA7HgkGLEjzhhr51MpKO6MhGTQlJAXjyrNXdrPbFKeNFXrGhcVK0l4wvaN7zF2CyjgGiaHrCuSm043Ql/s1600/Rhinconichthys_%2528fin+material%2529-Photo_Credit_Bruce_Schumacher.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZoJd4ePjJhaCyawq69RuYfmdZWE9UV3fz1lpGOJN4uSV377qar3AK5YOhdkgFA7HgkGLEjzhhr51MpKO6MhGTQlJAXjyrNXdrPbFKeNFXrGhcVK0l4wvaN7zF2CyjgGiaHrCuSm043Ql/s320/Rhinconichthys_%2528fin+material%2529-Photo_Credit_Bruce_Schumacher.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The super informative pectoral fin, our first clue to its identity</td></tr>
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Bruce had already done some basic prep work on the top of the fish. Some paperwork with my boss Mike Triebold was completed and we were under contract to finish preparing, molding and casting the specimen. I spent several hundred hours with air scribes and air abrasive blasters removing the extremely tenacious concretion surrounding the skull. What we found on the underside was astonishing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcy_3GGKVbeeRMIE3w_d3-K78nExOKbI_jpmvWDx0lYeRQIe_vrWHDqFM4pvijAd_rAR3ghnIKNq8GvlQbpsG0YXuDLgWCcE_Ma5jszlozsD0RQQuUI-z2S8V7carW_Mkfj5zIxcdEjqy/s1600/Rhinconichthys_%2528initial+preparation%2529-Photo_Credit_Bruce_Schumacher.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcy_3GGKVbeeRMIE3w_d3-K78nExOKbI_jpmvWDx0lYeRQIe_vrWHDqFM4pvijAd_rAR3ghnIKNq8GvlQbpsG0YXuDLgWCcE_Ma5jszlozsD0RQQuUI-z2S8V7carW_Mkfj5zIxcdEjqy/s320/Rhinconichthys_%2528initial+preparation%2529-Photo_Credit_Bruce_Schumacher.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of specimen showing nice skull roof</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlok7hwZBkrO77FCRVHxgKWx0b6Vl93gqxM1QuxbaMmFm6RMYpJI-ccJsIj1uCucpPyTSan9pu9YrtSz_AnZ9s86zCOGJq6JsxVOoqBMnrM7iUhnEbCAWZZB6aMnCHrPva7iDcw1HgQ2D/s1600/fishyfishy+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlok7hwZBkrO77FCRVHxgKWx0b6Vl93gqxM1QuxbaMmFm6RMYpJI-ccJsIj1uCucpPyTSan9pu9YrtSz_AnZ9s86zCOGJq6JsxVOoqBMnrM7iUhnEbCAWZZB6aMnCHrPva7iDcw1HgQ2D/s320/fishyfishy+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The underside showing googly eyes and super long lower jaw</td></tr>
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The fish has a remarkably flappy underbite with relatively huge eyes. It reminded us of the character Beaker from "The Muppet Show," and the informal nickname "Muppetfish" stuck. Of course that name isn't going to fly in publication, so we named it as a new species,<i> Rhinconichthys purgatoirensis,</i> after the local landmark river. A second species, <i>Rhinconichthys uyenoi</i> from Japan, is also described and<i> Rhinconichthys taylori </i>from England is better described with new information from the Muppetfish Rosetta stone. When we released the 2010 paper on<i> Bonnerichthys</i>, these species were touched on briefly, but only <i>R. taylori</i> was complete enough to work on.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtZmkCBvVTL7c1wA2Lmc4wCbGGOpJw3J5qU3NqjU-xzuX_4MJjndAFNG0XTeMg5A3PZurArezfYKY-rvu6L9yYDzzMHeGuEDBsrgEivCxv-gm05McisOSUjeABtXl70L5u8sHTR3BUa5p/s1600/Figure+5+low+lores+%2528002%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtZmkCBvVTL7c1wA2Lmc4wCbGGOpJw3J5qU3NqjU-xzuX_4MJjndAFNG0XTeMg5A3PZurArezfYKY-rvu6L9yYDzzMHeGuEDBsrgEivCxv-gm05McisOSUjeABtXl70L5u8sHTR3BUa5p/s320/Figure+5+low+lores+%2528002%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Why is this cool? Well, we've gone from one species in the genus from one place to having representatives from all across the Northern Hemisphere for several millions of years. It also shows that commercial paleo and federal agencies can work together to get stuff done, to the chagrin of some in the academic community. The specimen is to be permanently housed at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.</div>
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You can find a copy of the paper here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667115301427</div>
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Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-12447142146822698872016-01-10T15:46:00.001-08:002016-01-10T15:46:33.456-08:00Everyone loves a little tailOr even a huge one. Just wanted to share some cool pics we took of Pete III's 5.1m long (17 foot) tail. Caudal 1 is missing from this layout (it was still in the pelvis jacket), so add on another 18cm or so.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSvIlZ5aX2VIscLXX9TXND3z9gGQyifc0jSpSxuXkvR9gcaitBJ4QQhGf-I8MSrTROA9ysTB1O8uV7qm3X3PPZRduMUTkNKhqLiNrUzUNc5nZRi88mdGWtBGnvSwC2I4noyheXNqeIC-V/s1600/IMG_2502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSvIlZ5aX2VIscLXX9TXND3z9gGQyifc0jSpSxuXkvR9gcaitBJ4QQhGf-I8MSrTROA9ysTB1O8uV7qm3X3PPZRduMUTkNKhqLiNrUzUNc5nZRi88mdGWtBGnvSwC2I4noyheXNqeIC-V/s320/IMG_2502.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not too shabby</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-XnpdYGdhyphenhyphenaA7zXiqE9eFtOQ1rRTZQbkjoWqq6q15fzrX8HCCOBdRdlnVTwaxGeH2fjw_RgGyJ_78ZuBZthvmnfBcQaZ3X26y74yeQpSAhL52ZDxnmQaGmpTR6XNNUtayp0_begJZHHF/s1600/IMG_2510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-XnpdYGdhyphenhyphenaA7zXiqE9eFtOQ1rRTZQbkjoWqq6q15fzrX8HCCOBdRdlnVTwaxGeH2fjw_RgGyJ_78ZuBZthvmnfBcQaZ3X26y74yeQpSAhL52ZDxnmQaGmpTR6XNNUtayp0_begJZHHF/s320/IMG_2510.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob, our living 2m scalebar</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd6dYnlugtYOG08GJ-GDgMPET7EmODYRpO0QiN_4Kx7bdQplfAOqTyq7SlUCWb8Ome2C9q8rrPWTGAwgTf2Rm3idXtjMEheITKNu3BEnE6bYv_sSQsdjDLO5KdlUiBm-pP6DL1-T1oPUP/s1600/IMG_2516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd6dYnlugtYOG08GJ-GDgMPET7EmODYRpO0QiN_4Kx7bdQplfAOqTyq7SlUCWb8Ome2C9q8rrPWTGAwgTf2Rm3idXtjMEheITKNu3BEnE6bYv_sSQsdjDLO5KdlUiBm-pP6DL1-T1oPUP/s320/IMG_2516.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fossil Brewing Company shirt is apt</td></tr>
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-44989003786111815032015-11-12T14:03:00.002-08:002015-11-12T14:03:17.840-08:00A day in the life of a Daspletosaurus boneSome people asked me not too long ago about what we do in order to get some of these bones ready for molding. In the case of Pete III, our <i>Daspletosaurus </i>from Montana, the condition of the bone gave us some additional problems. All specimens of course get excavated and painstakingly prepared by our expert staff, but in Pete III's case, even the prep necessitated the invention of new techniques <a href="https://www.academia.edu/796424/DIFFICULT_EXCAVATION_AND_PREPARATION_OF_A_LARGE_DASPLETOSAURUS_SPECIMEN" target="_blank">which I published on a few years back</a>. The entire specimen was pixelated, with some bones made up of hundreds of thousands of fragments. Lots of glue was needed to even expose the bone, which is huge, literally<i> Tyrannosaurus rex</i> sized. Once done the left ilium looked kind of like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UtrycWJY4pr5Zh7fhaTE5Ndx9NOvq9jmBG295Xh-izdo2oGUzFraNKySBTm1LLtFKwyrSvf90v4GlT3IR6k6-PMhsjvskNBcsi6VfUTSsL3NgcN-elETBzGz_ogpCjQ4LVi8T4Vn5nvF/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UtrycWJY4pr5Zh7fhaTE5Ndx9NOvq9jmBG295Xh-izdo2oGUzFraNKySBTm1LLtFKwyrSvf90v4GlT3IR6k6-PMhsjvskNBcsi6VfUTSsL3NgcN-elETBzGz_ogpCjQ4LVi8T4Vn5nvF/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next up is reconstruction of any major missing bits and holes with epoxy putty like <a href="https://www.avesstudio.com/apoxie/apoxie-sculpt" target="_blank">Aves Apoxie Sculpt</a>. That's the grey stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhCSCHIBHBCp4YQ_j-osY8Cxn5zMDO-hJQNDS-wAuiRgWUtQlEEOLwYTJwtozXcpEArWxIJlQUFX1c7KsUjB2FTye66oESNHJ2cDgpg1vCepRlk826IdWqfEgPjKvyvAg23oM92z7fp-w/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhCSCHIBHBCp4YQ_j-osY8Cxn5zMDO-hJQNDS-wAuiRgWUtQlEEOLwYTJwtozXcpEArWxIJlQUFX1c7KsUjB2FTye66oESNHJ2cDgpg1vCepRlk826IdWqfEgPjKvyvAg23oM92z7fp-w/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We then apply a barrier layer of B-72 to hold everything together for the next steps. Shiny!<br />
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Then we take our gorgeous bone and smear the whole thing with tinted <a href="https://www.usg.com/content/usgcom/en/products-solutions/products/industrial-specialty/art-&-statuary/hydrocal-white-gypsum-cement.html" target="_blank">Hydrocal</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KMguZ5VWrP0WV9ewWH0QY9s3nkhcszL_RaS1vVUAU6Dz5gq7qqKwwxO9s9Jbwk0k6Yi4b9F1jYRGr_3-pe45c7obC_zw7x5RtuHbpRccwci-qotStN4oZceAOiDag4mfuB5U_GoKFf11/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KMguZ5VWrP0WV9ewWH0QY9s3nkhcszL_RaS1vVUAU6Dz5gq7qqKwwxO9s9Jbwk0k6Yi4b9F1jYRGr_3-pe45c7obC_zw7x5RtuHbpRccwci-qotStN4oZceAOiDag4mfuB5U_GoKFf11/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yuck. OK now it doesn't even look like a fossil. Never fear, most of it will be gone soon. The main aim is to work the Hydrocal into all the seriously tiny cracks in the surface to better hold the bone together. This also reduces the amount of the relief in the specimen so molding goes much faster. The excess on the surface is removed with air abrasion.<br />
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Doesn't look so shiny anymore, but we can fix that with a wee bit more of very thin B-72.<br />
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And there you have it, one half of a bone restored in a few days time. Now we just make a support jacket so the entire thing can be flipped over and the process repeated.<br />
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-17606926113851502052015-09-16T09:00:00.000-07:002015-09-16T10:15:04.156-07:00Please welcome the new "Avaceratops"It's a happy day when we get to unleash a brand new dinosaur on the world. After 3 years of hard work and a lot of sweat, we get to show off our new primitive centrosaurine ceratopsian!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLD_dyuMr6bJ4-6QqTWrZMtU-ysF2pfvm7fNsjrZBLJgHQsmDc-Pfmsmga1jo7-5IwOPvnrN3EAHyuvhFy61VaIj_6oNy8lgnrJfV97IEJOcz0r7Q4GM6JMYJWDzgW5gGJOKK9IViNrT1R/s1600/Ava+RMDRC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLD_dyuMr6bJ4-6QqTWrZMtU-ysF2pfvm7fNsjrZBLJgHQsmDc-Pfmsmga1jo7-5IwOPvnrN3EAHyuvhFy61VaIj_6oNy8lgnrJfV97IEJOcz0r7Q4GM6JMYJWDzgW5gGJOKK9IViNrT1R/s320/Ava+RMDRC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The newest skeletal, copyright Scott Hartman, used with permission</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4Hw7WY1fTZ5FnsTJDNAWdN2QI9ufw8vHOve99MskAp2DGLG1JaYyIOt3YgA2REyHLoJUISPCCR3mTMmHD1PGsTJf-qkZeI1zOgXghzowUiDWMSH79OYjGivXnLTN4vCL3erk_WTLTcwZ/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4Hw7WY1fTZ5FnsTJDNAWdN2QI9ufw8vHOve99MskAp2DGLG1JaYyIOt3YgA2REyHLoJUISPCCR3mTMmHD1PGsTJf-qkZeI1zOgXghzowUiDWMSH79OYjGivXnLTN4vCL3erk_WTLTcwZ/s320/IMG_1323.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The skelton in all it's glory, Curator for scale</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxA2hPa2MVnOBqUYxQJhmqv9xZRVHCwUnPeOEd_ZJOtI7rUFRgG1Qf5pbDQ10CAcpmHugmDTxjuX_-rST2-ycXu3RBqJ9_eCqHBrUtwWMMN-rW2X05f5Tn-kQ4TknFaK8Mfgu8UJJqvDFI/s1600/Ava+RMDRC+rigorous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxA2hPa2MVnOBqUYxQJhmqv9xZRVHCwUnPeOEd_ZJOtI7rUFRgG1Qf5pbDQ10CAcpmHugmDTxjuX_-rST2-ycXu3RBqJ9_eCqHBrUtwWMMN-rW2X05f5Tn-kQ4TknFaK8Mfgu8UJJqvDFI/s320/Ava+RMDRC+rigorous.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bones of the specimen that were recovered, copyright Scott Hartman, used with permission</td></tr>
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We discovered the specimen at the end of August 2012 on private land in central Montana. The specimen was found near the top of the Judith River Formation, in rocks approximately 75 million years old. You may notice we are using the name "<i>Avaceratops</i>" in quotes here. We're not trying to be coy or mysterious, but with the stratigraphic difference (our specimen is about 3 million years younger than the holotype) and the differences in skull morphology highlighted below, we have come to the conclusion that this is a different animal than true <i>Avaceratops lammersi</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwELXUa3GjbmHdjz80mWKdWo5LIPG5jGqgmhsSKnJVoyapvbBCm7AqxXBPN8ipc-rtd6_9V-i2vJleVaomD3rDmgQB0YrlVEOM3_t9Y4RIu1JTPSiXV8lawiP0I5rAIAX6biHGWlGKx_FY/s1600/img_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwELXUa3GjbmHdjz80mWKdWo5LIPG5jGqgmhsSKnJVoyapvbBCm7AqxXBPN8ipc-rtd6_9V-i2vJleVaomD3rDmgQB0YrlVEOM3_t9Y4RIu1JTPSiXV8lawiP0I5rAIAX6biHGWlGKx_FY/s320/img_0.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone put a lot of work into this. Tell me who you are so I can give credit!</td></tr>
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The skull is quite different in detail. It totally lacks a nose horn, and the long brow horns (until recently a rarity in centrosaurine ceratopsians) point forward and even slightly back towards each other, much different than the other two known skulls. It's large "forehead" area is more reminiscent of the recently described <i>Nasutoceratops</i>, from about the same time in Utah.<br />
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Overall, the skeleton is 3.5m long and about 1.2m tall. We estimate the critter was about 3 to 4 years old when it died, both based on its relatively small size and the extensive lack of fusion in its skeletal elements. It's pelvis was reassembled from over 30 separate elements. What a job.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zBmo2n6TlOaIXfDEpv5U2z0FnoKRb1E0fnqw31L3oeyc5pguNqfol-iZh5hQSe611b3277t_qfEest0ZkcxX-Uiq3uJvvZjMbPenrYig0BfCCxyiA00XuZwrGzTqHx4xdUuM9tW6nGjM/s1600/044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zBmo2n6TlOaIXfDEpv5U2z0FnoKRb1E0fnqw31L3oeyc5pguNqfol-iZh5hQSe611b3277t_qfEest0ZkcxX-Uiq3uJvvZjMbPenrYig0BfCCxyiA00XuZwrGzTqHx4xdUuM9tW6nGjM/s320/044.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging down into the quarry site</td></tr>
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After the dinosaur died, it's partially mummified body washed down a stream channel until it hit a logjam composed of not only actual logs, but the limb bones of a large hadrosaur. Here it lodged upside down and then began to partially disarticulate. Some of the dried skin over the hips was surprisingly well preserved though, <a href="http://rmdrc.blogspot.com/2013/08/avaceratops-now-has-skin.html" target="_blank">as addressed in an earlier blog post</a>. A few tyrannosaur teeth were found at the site, but we feel those were incidental background fossils, as no predation or scavenging marks were observed on the bones.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vAAHqmowfNuAYESDDQQOJRLkT5sudkQgilKeTMNnFioLagpMeZq2Z55_RChkFkzVGlOEM7x2obyw1s79z4tdTLJBRC2RmrCKPQO9W6wUUt6IjsftqEBNfbIfF4Av3nOFzy0qWGElErtN/s1600/tyrannosaur+tooth+near+080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vAAHqmowfNuAYESDDQQOJRLkT5sudkQgilKeTMNnFioLagpMeZq2Z55_RChkFkzVGlOEM7x2obyw1s79z4tdTLJBRC2RmrCKPQO9W6wUUt6IjsftqEBNfbIfF4Av3nOFzy0qWGElErtN/s320/tyrannosaur+tooth+near+080.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyrannosaur tooth found at the site</td></tr>
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After all this painstaking work in sometimes miserable conditions, we are excited to share the product of this discovery with the rest of the world. After getting unveiled to the press on Wednesday, September 16 at 10:00am the mounted skeleton will be on display at the RMDRC for just a few weeks before making its first trip to Dallas, TX for the 75th meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. You must come see it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBW3Mg2g0s3fVFjXc1QJT8CRZdjdF-lk_rSycPe9VPcUu3rfmY-TeRef8BfcrAj_YkmWMyCiHW0IuaKHSRGUSSQ-vfBlkrkjdaNb4SrZd9d2thrtjVzS4orSVbQ7Qjem5_ZJZCuDYsAW58/s1600/IMG_2025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBW3Mg2g0s3fVFjXc1QJT8CRZdjdF-lk_rSycPe9VPcUu3rfmY-TeRef8BfcrAj_YkmWMyCiHW0IuaKHSRGUSSQ-vfBlkrkjdaNb4SrZd9d2thrtjVzS4orSVbQ7Qjem5_ZJZCuDYsAW58/s320/IMG_2025.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mount showing the horn shapes (and absences)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw5Ky7JdAp34bKujuS2PF7OpkaAE0yxGszOaOhtjFssKrzs_QHmQ2eadJGN8y1ykN_tbjZQ52usqjSvWFJTX3332iJc8aZ7oMscNh-cR4jnFiklQwsr75DVwN-IZmmvHyCI4XEr7MvgbO/s1600/IMG_2028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw5Ky7JdAp34bKujuS2PF7OpkaAE0yxGszOaOhtjFssKrzs_QHmQ2eadJGN8y1ykN_tbjZQ52usqjSvWFJTX3332iJc8aZ7oMscNh-cR4jnFiklQwsr75DVwN-IZmmvHyCI4XEr7MvgbO/s320/IMG_2028.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rear view of skeleton</td></tr>
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-57591115282614675642015-08-26T10:23:00.000-07:002015-08-26T10:23:15.600-07:00Digging the middle half of a TriceratopsWe've finished the <i>Triceratops</i> dig that<a href="http://rmdrc.blogspot.com/2015/07/hell-creek-what-i-found-on-my-summer.html" target="_blank"> I announced in my last blog post</a>. We got pretty much everything from the rear of the neck to the back of the hips, minus the limbs. It looks like the specimen was well laid out in order, unfortunately with the head end going off the edge of the cliff. Just a couple thousand years too late, but oh well. There was an unconformity at the top of the site that destroyed the higher bones, including shearing the bottom 4/5 of the femur away. Sometimes nature isn't nice to us. Enjoy the pics!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtnGr0cTlo3gqHsfFaQrPnfLfH4RNjhjeacctTs1smbwjTkmm3QEUVK0cJZV9shk_2WPlOy6LWvMl0tDwBwMKhQX8rix4hYB1nJaNNqudgD2NwVU1w-aIUZuy8a36XYxD5TqaIOm4Qyww/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtnGr0cTlo3gqHsfFaQrPnfLfH4RNjhjeacctTs1smbwjTkmm3QEUVK0cJZV9shk_2WPlOy6LWvMl0tDwBwMKhQX8rix4hYB1nJaNNqudgD2NwVU1w-aIUZuy8a36XYxD5TqaIOm4Qyww/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scary bobcat driving to get rid of overburden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike not finding anything, Jacob on the hips</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naptime in the shade while employees roast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoH3KNxEAwAlfyz0CzjB9Ir_OZ0qpQeiHO7UaG7ExgyaArYlWwwJKcyS3wpjXXbgJroQj9k2SAtJ8TfaAT4lewxWDIPFsr2cB4wMBxVTua0_At-xyzVzj1G0SZ67bCJx2S8zcnPjzcuCMX/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoH3KNxEAwAlfyz0CzjB9Ir_OZ0qpQeiHO7UaG7ExgyaArYlWwwJKcyS3wpjXXbgJroQj9k2SAtJ8TfaAT4lewxWDIPFsr2cB4wMBxVTua0_At-xyzVzj1G0SZ67bCJx2S8zcnPjzcuCMX/s320/013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hips isolated</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cap jacket on hips and attempting to recover a whole rib</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8ogLENWAucmiS8tS4E_B6zJo0dFQzysJJYZwYGWyUFXirIHd-xhbOEsSNU7y_mXhhkMIxw0hSSAtFX_-9AEAoIfSBpK2AFhTwxFnAnA1hpshdW_QoXwYEpGUzUE-l-GwFR1P4AiOJ6s8/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8ogLENWAucmiS8tS4E_B6zJo0dFQzysJJYZwYGWyUFXirIHd-xhbOEsSNU7y_mXhhkMIxw0hSSAtFX_-9AEAoIfSBpK2AFhTwxFnAnA1hpshdW_QoXwYEpGUzUE-l-GwFR1P4AiOJ6s8/s320/023.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big jacket done after a seriously long day</td></tr>
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Prep on the main hips block is going slowly, but we hope to have this monster chunk of bone out on display later this week.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oqDtyeqFShzQ2M-UmUQlJeeuGiRBqxTBKVzQjEkh5Qo8fiOTHkLxVAOWTeJGEUOvXU0vk7jqAQZZyB5vAYOnw3TzjLoigkOEbxtoQPxrcmB5ggRT0AcNbkPteEHT_dAF93HBXwS1ZCEf/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oqDtyeqFShzQ2M-UmUQlJeeuGiRBqxTBKVzQjEkh5Qo8fiOTHkLxVAOWTeJGEUOvXU0vk7jqAQZZyB5vAYOnw3TzjLoigkOEbxtoQPxrcmB5ggRT0AcNbkPteEHT_dAF93HBXwS1ZCEf/s320/026.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Progress on the jacket but still lots to go</td></tr>
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-16859803519747946432015-07-29T09:58:00.001-07:002015-07-29T09:58:38.797-07:00Hell Creek: What I found on my summer "vacation"We've just returned to the lab from a 2 week expedition to the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota. The weather was very hot, the bugs were out in force, and I had a grand total of one shower during our stint in the wilds. Here's a bit of what we found.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBi6cyhrxiPVEr6IsoAUpHe25gTkNtHCnxxc78146TYMAPzQthbaxRkTbd-fWhKRVXYp6TePcWMrb61j3yaauppJFvlhJGxMdILnjUCX2jcSCYm7RBNy9JuFYKtXmE0AlKiErXMK6uoopm/s1600/20150714_104900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBi6cyhrxiPVEr6IsoAUpHe25gTkNtHCnxxc78146TYMAPzQthbaxRkTbd-fWhKRVXYp6TePcWMrb61j3yaauppJFvlhJGxMdILnjUCX2jcSCYm7RBNy9JuFYKtXmE0AlKiErXMK6uoopm/s320/20150714_104900.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thescelosaurus claw</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kizg_4gbBLYZ6hmXllKSWCcpai2EjGdeAuepzYYtNy7ewwn8A-pBOQO4i34HCmZKkq1EzOvIQ8rGP4k0jxRnUhCzXo2ZbuSpkkWRRMZ1vBeB6OfsbYUnlwaPbQ6qVfMyTtLi5akIMiM-/s1600/20150714_164657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kizg_4gbBLYZ6hmXllKSWCcpai2EjGdeAuepzYYtNy7ewwn8A-pBOQO4i34HCmZKkq1EzOvIQ8rGP4k0jxRnUhCzXo2ZbuSpkkWRRMZ1vBeB6OfsbYUnlwaPbQ6qVfMyTtLi5akIMiM-/s320/20150714_164657.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theropod tibia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4bacEfLh5xtwVaz5G_Xg65lPPC0TkZWUIZ62l_xRaUjHRKegElOg182-39VuKOODjrDyxsSic3Op57vt6bLjQK0ZE9z6ZDoA81fyCUerWF8sKnBKt-EFbPnuIztjXQZTaBbcVahFdL29/s1600/20150716_091250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4bacEfLh5xtwVaz5G_Xg65lPPC0TkZWUIZ62l_xRaUjHRKegElOg182-39VuKOODjrDyxsSic3Op57vt6bLjQK0ZE9z6ZDoA81fyCUerWF8sKnBKt-EFbPnuIztjXQZTaBbcVahFdL29/s320/20150716_091250.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">partial triceratops skull before excavation</td></tr>
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Finds were a bit sparse in week one. Lots of hiking and lots of incredibly bare outcrops. Occasionally I founds some <i>Champsosaurus </i>bones or gar scales, but for the most part it was just a bit depressing. Then I made my big "find" of the first half of the trip: a <i>Pachycephalosaurus</i> dome!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7aKhMPYMjTdccQiJ-IqEi0ZQ7JDk9Q6lZCpfq7YxIPlme7wEdhzE1tIhyphenhyphenb0IWEC5omPN3sm-ReZRMfuhCbGuSZ57RFyZwCGWPC1ckL5j3VN7WB1zs0J5NXnooRAiWWd8CfmjgwsAQpnn/s1600/20150719_174240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7aKhMPYMjTdccQiJ-IqEi0ZQ7JDk9Q6lZCpfq7YxIPlme7wEdhzE1tIhyphenhyphenb0IWEC5omPN3sm-ReZRMfuhCbGuSZ57RFyZwCGWPC1ckL5j3VN7WB1zs0J5NXnooRAiWWd8CfmjgwsAQpnn/s320/20150719_174240.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a pretty dome</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSvxUg7dNKTpfVcgoZgCpxS-br-Jb8PGgQKYCGic2IXeL7a1R_D3TX0hFBg7x6xKPerPMD-z9XuUVzhsNGaZoJUiJtTKVWDZg2IQ2_9Ijxbe0KiAJtccvr1j6SdI74i95VI1Q-1pHPhQq/s1600/20150719_174250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSvxUg7dNKTpfVcgoZgCpxS-br-Jb8PGgQKYCGic2IXeL7a1R_D3TX0hFBg7x6xKPerPMD-z9XuUVzhsNGaZoJUiJtTKVWDZg2IQ2_9Ijxbe0KiAJtccvr1j6SdI74i95VI1Q-1pHPhQq/s320/20150719_174250.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">but they're so rare</td></tr>
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Just when things were starting to look bleak, I found 2 <i>Triceratops </i>sites a few days apart. The first so far is just a pile of ribs (we will expand the dig later to see if more is present) but was in a great location where we could drive the truck to, no overburden, really ideal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVAt8Nu3LYAgLCZKix55mij_MLlMSvPysp5DIUzfDLnF4nY7U2DSUrhxayfbjKmB3tyTJGA8pBd2TWInCBv26dGVBSZ678auF1hinTEXb5BSf62ACVV1bNm86w0X2p56_2QCWjBfG_-LC/s1600/20150719_143435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVAt8Nu3LYAgLCZKix55mij_MLlMSvPysp5DIUzfDLnF4nY7U2DSUrhxayfbjKmB3tyTJGA8pBd2TWInCBv26dGVBSZ678auF1hinTEXb5BSf62ACVV1bNm86w0X2p56_2QCWjBfG_-LC/s320/20150719_143435.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We can always use more parts</td></tr>
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The second one, in true Anthony fashion, I found by tracing a bone fragment to the top of a 50-60 foot cliff that had bones sticking out of it. I knocked out a very small excavation the first day and kept running into more bones. Jacob and I returned for a few more very hot (120 degree plus) excavation days and found over 20 bones so far. A few were recovered, and we will return to the site in a few weeks with a bobcat to move some serious dirt and continue the excavation. So far it's mostly really big vertebrae, ribs, and girdle elements, though there is some skull and rooted teeth too. Fingers crossed for a complete-ish specimen!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCDsMIPlxQNVFmJ7Uye5on51QS9pk94nnbRdW7zN4jM7KSWE9UoEJESoEJkkyMSpZKMfd3DiC29QTEwNnY-aUMnBYqpISaVm_4aAc416oNwAgwuv6pH-4WEf4a24ysv1QHqFpzCIQ2ZkV/s1600/20150720_113544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCDsMIPlxQNVFmJ7Uye5on51QS9pk94nnbRdW7zN4jM7KSWE9UoEJESoEJkkyMSpZKMfd3DiC29QTEwNnY-aUMnBYqpISaVm_4aAc416oNwAgwuv6pH-4WEf4a24ysv1QHqFpzCIQ2ZkV/s320/20150720_113544.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down from the site. Part of the humerus can be seen poking out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNw3SzrmjNA4WW3vD_KOazIkC4i69LAmBF0qys8M0QFrRuRtK6fAkRgboVJ9wrusiVOU-2UhYjimt4LmoywesOmbsscNFokKVDnDfp76bIrhLW66q5XO1nNgy7mbX3WXFCQ3f0if64TXUA/s1600/20150721_100639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNw3SzrmjNA4WW3vD_KOazIkC4i69LAmBF0qys8M0QFrRuRtK6fAkRgboVJ9wrusiVOU-2UhYjimt4LmoywesOmbsscNFokKVDnDfp76bIrhLW66q5XO1nNgy7mbX3WXFCQ3f0if64TXUA/s320/20150721_100639.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like quite a climb up to the site</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEqqPpjSi4b5eVnPqFj1ioFuWgYUmt8Rlm2FtjV5GevOAoNLZZ6XbE1wqk0GLbOqNhAs8ihdoqxQIz4oq3zRVmqV5tNkj8OYlPjxbw3cXYuTw5xa72vAZ2S8bJ3rtDt9MN1QFAajv-BZN/s1600/20150721_170514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEqqPpjSi4b5eVnPqFj1ioFuWgYUmt8Rlm2FtjV5GevOAoNLZZ6XbE1wqk0GLbOqNhAs8ihdoqxQIz4oq3zRVmqV5tNkj8OYlPjxbw3cXYuTw5xa72vAZ2S8bJ3rtDt9MN1QFAajv-BZN/s320/20150721_170514.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dorsal vertebra awaiting excavation</td></tr>
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409934261224624044.post-14218741122714729592015-06-22T11:51:00.000-07:002015-06-22T11:51:40.762-07:00Digging more holes in KansasIt's been quite a while since the last update, but that's because of all the field work we've been doing in western Kansas. Hell, I feel like I've been digging deeper holes than Kansas' Governor. Ha! Biting political humor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSv2nSzHg2mIhJtxf7Q8F2esAQAxp4coggglC8DwuBp6MbwyXSDYFbHWYMFQvI3SOV2eXwge4FXQdt3Q_lsEXe-lnsOoBo0LFf16RqyqG-n9og8qk3gNwwaYUx5L__3orHqO95_Akye02/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSv2nSzHg2mIhJtxf7Q8F2esAQAxp4coggglC8DwuBp6MbwyXSDYFbHWYMFQvI3SOV2eXwge4FXQdt3Q_lsEXe-lnsOoBo0LFf16RqyqG-n9og8qk3gNwwaYUx5L__3orHqO95_Akye02/s320/026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In any case, Jacob just released a video that has a few awesome action shots of me staring at the ground, and a really ugly (well, even uglier than usual) <i>Xiphactinus</i> that I found before we started working on it. Check it out and don't forget to subscribe to his youtube channel or the <a href="http://dinosaurnerds.com/" target="_blank">Dinosaur Nerds website</a> so you can see all kinds of boring thing like me complaining about mosasaurs.<br />
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<br />Maltesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.com0