The Denver Museum of Nature and Science recently uncovered a dinosaur bone fossil under its parking lot during geothermal heating research. Drilled over 750 ft deep, this discovery is extremely rare, akin to making a hole-in-one from the moon. The fossil belongs to a small plant-eating dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period, around 67.5 million years ago, with previous major finds in the area like T. rex and triceratops fossils. This is the museum's oldest and deepest fossil discovery, adding unique insight into the region's paleontological history.
Finding a dinosaur bone in a core is like hitting a hole in one from the moon. It's like winning the Willy Wonka factory. It's incredible, it's super rare, said James Hagadorn, the museum's curator of geology.
Only two similar finds have been noted in bore hole samples anywhere in the world, not to mention on the grounds of a dinosaur museum.
A vertebra of a smallish, plant-eating dinosaur is believed to be the source. It lived in the late Cretaceous period around 67.5m years ago.
This animal was living in what was probably a swampy environment that would have been heavily vegetated at the time, said Patrick O'Connor, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the museum.
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