There are some incredible dinosaur fossils that have been found. Here are 3 of our top ones.
Borealopelta
An amazingly preserved ankylosaur (armored dinosaur), that looks mummified. It’s on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum and visitors can see its eyelids, keratin on scutes, fossilized skin, and gut contents. Scientists also learned that this dinosaur was reddish-brown and had a countershading pattern for camouflage.
Hear more about Borealopelta in our interview with Caleb Brown, who worked on the fossil, in episode 149. And learn more about the Borealopelta fossil in episode 142.
Leonardo the Brachylophosaurus
Leonardo is a famous dinosaur “mummy,” and one of the most incredible dinosaur fossils. This hadrosaur dinosaur is 90% covered in soft tissue, and the fingers on its hands were in a soft tissue so it looked like a mitten. And Leonardo’s gut contents were preserved: ferns, conifers, magnolias, and pollen from more than 40 different plants.
Learn more about Leonardo and Brachylophosaurus in episode 194 of our podcast.
Mussaurus
The name Mussaurus means “mouse lizard” but this dinosaur could grow to weigh over 1 ton. So many Mussaurus fossils have been found, (including an embryo inside an egg!) and scientists have learned a lot about Mussaurus since it was first discovered. For example, they had a common nesting ground, where juvenile Mussaurus hung out together and adults foraged for food. And when Mussaurus was a baby, it crawled on all fours but as it grew bigger this dinosaur walked on two legs.
Hear more about Mussaurus herds in episode 362, Mussaurus eggs in episode 292, Mussaurus crawling in episode 237, and Mussaurus in general in episode 220.
