A remarkable finding in the oil sands of Alberta has the scientific world talking about an ancient, land-dwelling dinosaur.
A truly spectacular dinosaur carcass is about to go on display after it was found in Canada. And yes, we said a carcass, as this specimen is being called a 110 million year old “dinosaur mummy,” the perfectly preserved remains of a lawn-dwelling, plant-eating nodosaur that was found on what was formerly the bottom of a sea that existed many eons ago.
Scientists discovered this dinosaur mummy in the oil sands of northern Alberta back in 2011, and immediately realized that it was probably the best preserved specimen of its kind, with fossilized skin and even the contents of its belly still intact, thanks to minerals in this long-since-evaporated sea.
Reptiles grew to 60 feet in length and huge dinosaurs roamed the shores of this sea, which has served as key archaeological grounds for dinosaur hunting scientists. The fossil was featured in the June issue of National Geographic, and is going on display to the general public.
Suncor, the energy company that owns the land where the mummy was found, described the 2011 find in a 2015 statement: “In 2011, Suncor came across something a little less expected at its oil sands mining operations – a dinosaur! Thanks to the sharp eye of one of our employees, Suncor made history with this amazing find. Watch as Discovery’s Daily Planet explores what it took to extract the dinosaur fossil from Suncor’s Millennium Mine and what this rare find unveils about Alberta’s pre-historic times.”