Fossilized dinosaur bones are still a somewhat common find, mainly because of how long dinosaurs roamed the Earth. What’s far more unheard of, however, is fossilized dinosaur skin.
In 2011, paleontologists unearthed a near-complete Borealopelta markmitchelli, a type of four-legged ankylosaur fossil. The fossil preserved some of its spikes, armor, stomach contents and most importantly, the skin on its face. Now, multiple studies have examined the fossil, revealing new details about the dinosaur that once roamed our planet.
Dinosaur Fossilization
A common form of fossilization can occur when sediment, typically either sand or silt, buries an animal that has died. Once buried, the body decomposes, but the animal’s bones are protected from the sediment elements. Then, over millions of years, minerals slowly replace the bones in the surrounding rock. What’s left over is a copy of the original bones.
The 2011 ankylosaur was not found under sediment, though. Rather, this fossil was found in what was once a deep ocean — an open-pit mine in Alberta, Canada. Scientists hypothesize that the animal likely died in a river and was then carried out to sea in a flooding event. Once there, the gasses that built up in its body after death dissipated, and the ankylosaur sank to the ocean floor.
Read More: The First Ever Dinosaur Discovery: The Megalosaurus
Modelling by Dr. Donald Henderson, the curator of dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrell Museum in Alberta, suggests that the dinosaur’s thick coat of armor may have prevented sea-based predators from eating away at its remains.
Scientists have found other land-based dinosaurs fossilized in this manner, but none as well preserved as the ankylosaur. Henderson claims this may be because the ankylosaur’s final resting place was in an environment that discouraged scavenging.
“It was probably a region where [long-necked] plesiosaurs and big fish didn’t like to go,” said Henderson in an interview with Ars. “It was just a nice set of conditions in the seabed that had very low biological activity that led to that preservation.”
Fossil Significance
As of early 2023, multiple studies have examined the pristine ankylosaur fossil to learn more about what the dinosaur was like when it was alive.
The first study, led by Caleb Brown, a curator at the Royal Tyrell Museum, evaluated the spike-like bone structures that covered the back of the ankylosaur.
Because of the fossil condition, Brown could examine each bone structure (172 of them, to be exact). His study revealed that these structures weren’t meant to keep predators away, but instead attracted potential mates.
Previous evidence also reveals that specific spikes may have been pigmented differently than others. That evidence, combined with new findings, “suggests this spine may have function as a visual socio-sexual display signal with conspecifics,” according to the authors in the study.
A second study, conducted by Brown and his colleagues, looked into the ankylosaur fossil’s preserved stomach contents. Its stomach was full of prehistoric leaves at the time of death, meaning the dinosaur had an herbivorous diet. Additionally, the contents suggest that the ankylosaur was engaging in selective feeding, meaning it was picking and choosing what it ate.
Perhaps most importantly, a final study on the fossil revealed that the ankylosaur engaged in what’s known as countershading. It’s a form of camouflage that’s seen in many animals today, such as gazelles. The idea that a big creature like an ankylosaur had to engage in camouflage indicates just how hostile the world around it was.
FAQs
What's far more unheard of, however, is fossilized dinosaur skin. In 2011, paleontologists unearthed a near-complete Borealopelta markmitchelli, a type of four-legged ankylosaur fossil. The fossil preserved some of its spikes, armor, stomach contents and most importantly, the skin on its face.
Why are dinosaur fossils significant? ›
Fossils provide important evidence for evolution and the adaptation of plants and animals to their environments. Fossil evidence provides a record of how creatures evolved and how this process can be represented by a 'tree of life', showing that all species are related to each other.
Why are dinosaur bones still intact? ›
The most common process of fossilization happens when an animal is buried by sediment, such as sand or silt, shortly after it dies. Its bones are protected from rotting by layers of sediment. As its body decomposes all the fleshy parts wear away and only the hard parts, like bones, teeth, and horns, are left behind.
What is the significance of body fossils? ›
Body fossils are the remains of the body parts of ancient animals, plants, and other life forms. They tell us something about the appearance of ancient life forms.
Has a fully intact dinosaur ever been found? ›
Hadrosaurus is a famous dinosaur because it was the most complete dinosaur skeleton unearthed anywhere in the world when it was discovered and scientifically documented in 1858.
What is the significance of a dinosaur? ›
The dinosaur is the modern descendant of traditional monsters like the dragon and leviathan. As such, it symbolizes the power of the total state in its modern constitutional form, and it has a special significance as the unofficial totem animal of the world's leading democratic nation, the United States.
What dinosaur has 500 teeth? ›
Meet Nigersaurus taqueti, the herbivorous dinosaur that had 500 teeth in its vacuum-shaped mouth! The carnivorous dinosaurs had dagger-like serrated teeth, but it was the vegetarians who had the highest numbers, their dental batteries made up of hundreds of teeth.
What happened to dinosaur skin? ›
Through this mummification process, which the study authors call “desiccation and deflation,” the dinosaur carcass could have remained unburied for weeks or even months as animals, insects and microbes tore holes through the skin and ate away at the animal's internal organs.
What is an intact fossil? ›
Unaltered remains. Unaltered fossil remains are comprised of the original materials—and sometimes tissues—produced by an organism when it was alive. These materials have not changed into something else over geological time (i.e., they have not been altered).
What are two important facts about fossils? ›
A fossil can preserve an entire organism or just part of one. Bones, shells, feathers, and leaves can all become fossils. Fossils can be very large or very small. Microfossils are only visible with a microscope.
Body fossils
Normally, only the hard skeleton is preserved (shell or bone), and the soft tissue (skin, muscle, organs, etc.) rots away after death. Animals with weak skeletons (e.g., a shrimp or an insect) are less likely to be preserved and animals that lack a skeleton entirely are very rarely fossilized.
What are 5 examples of body fossils? ›
Body fossils, unsurprisingly, are parts of organism bodies. These include teeth, bones, skin, eggs, leaves, wood and bark.
Was the T. rex bone found with soft tissue? ›
But the 70-million-year-old bones of a Tyrannosauraus rex recovered from Montana are proving to be even more exceptional than the usual dino remains. Researchers report today in the journal Science that they have recovered soft tissue, including blood vessels, from the ancient creature.
Is the complete stegosaurus fossil with skin still intact? ›
The stegosaurus fossil, measuring about 5 meters in length, is nearly complete at the Fengning fossil conservation research center. It includes four tail bone spurs that are highly recognizable, and its skeleton is accompanied by intact fossilized skin.
Has a stegosaurus fossil with skin still intact been unearthed? ›
Provided to Chinadaily by researchers. One of the great dinosaur centers on Earth has produced another marvel, as a complete Stegosaurus skeleton with fossilized skin imprints has been unearthed in China.
Did T. rex have scales or skin? ›
It was a burly bear-faced monster with long banana-shaped teeth lining a mouth that could swallow a person whole. Tyrannosaurus stood on two strong legs, but had arms shorter than you or me. From snout to tail tip, its skin was covered in scales.
