The Creature Awaits #130:
Each week I plan to feature an amazing creature, admiring God's fantastic artistry. Hopefully it’ll brighten someone’s day to see something new and interesting if they haven’t seen it before. : )
(Yes, dinosaurs for my birthday again... ; p )
(Stunning photograph taken by ケラトプスユウタ (CC BY-SA 4.0) of the holotype specimen on display at the Royal Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology in Alberta, Canada.)
The Suncor Nodosaur
Scientific Name: Borealopelta markmitchelli (See Note below)
Region: This specimen was found in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada
Size: Approximately 18' (5.5m) long
Interesting Note: The name, "Suncor Nodosaur", refers to this specific specimen - this being a dinosaur in the family Nodosauridae that was discovered in an oil sands mine owned by the company Suncor Energy. Its genus, Borealopelta, meaning "Northern Shield," refers to the location it was found, coupled with sporting armored plating like all of its fellow Ankylosaurs. The species is named after technician Mark Mitchell, who spent 6 years carefully cleaning and preparing this specimen after a large portion of the rock surrounding it broke during excavation.
This specimen, found in 2011, remains one of the best-preserved and interesting finds in Paleontology - especially considering its somewhat large size. While some squashed skin samples have been found on other dinosaurs, usually smaller ones, this specimen had nearly all of the skin on its face and much of its back intact over well-preserved armor plates with their keratin sheaths. A fair amount of its torso and limbs were intact as well.
The melanosomes found it its skin suggest that it may have had an overall reddish complexion, with darker tones on top (where the sunlight would hit) leading into lighter tones on the bottom (which would usually be in shadow) - a simple camouflage pattern known as counter-shading, similar to that found in many deer.
This find also offered a glimpse at the dinosaur's feeding habits as its last meal remained preserved in its stomach. Interestingly, the ferns found were midway through their growing season - which would have placed this ankylosaur's passing in summer, and their charcoal content suggests they were regrowth from a recent wildfire.
It is believed that this specimen remained so well-preserved due to the circumstances surrounding its demise - most-likely being swept out to sea, drowning and landing upside down on the sea floor. (..Potentially during a flood, or even the Flood, perhaps? ..Poor guy. : / ) Surrounding sediments contained fluid-escape structures which suggest a rapid covering settled before all of its body fluids escaped - allowing the skin and scales, in their natural positions, to remain so well-preserved.
(...Does anyone else get teary-eyed looking at the preservation of this beautiful creature or is it just me? ^^; )
