The preserved stays of an ankylosaur represents one of the vital spectacular dinosaur fossil specimens on show on the London Pure Historical past Museum. Though massive, this glorious armoured dinosaur is commonly ignored by guests. Like lots of the Museum’s reveals it’s poorly lit. That is Scolosaurus cutleri (NHMUK R5161) and it’s most likely one of the vital wonderful ornithischian dinosaur fossils ever discovered.
Image credit score: Every thing Dinosaur
Scolosaurus cutleri (NHMUK R5161)
Scolosaurus (S. cutleri) was named and described by Baron Franz Nopcsa in 1928. The spectacular fossil materials on show on the Museum represents the holotype. The specimen is almost full. Though, the cranium, the top of the tail and limbs from the suitable facet of the animal are lacking. It was excavated from a bedding airplane related to the decrease parts of the Dinosaur Park Formation (Alberta, Canada). The specimen was found by industrial fossil hunter William Edmund Cutler in 1914. Sadly, throughout the excavation work, an try and take away materials from beneath the fossils resulted within the specimen collapsing on Cutler. He suffered in depth accidents to his chest.
Image credit score: Every thing Dinosaur
The Pores and skin of an Ankylosaurid
NHMUK R5161 is on show within the public galleries. An intensive quantity of the integument is preserved as pores and skin impressions. The image (above) exhibits the osteoderms preserved on the again of the animal. Ribs could be seen on the high of the {photograph}. Osteoderms are usually not linked to bone. They type within the dermis and because of this, most osteoderms are discovered as remoted items of the skeleton. This Scolosaurus cutleri specimen exhibits them in life place.
Labeled as a member of the subfamily Ankylosaurini, it was associated to different North American ankylosaurids akin to Ankylosaurus magniventris and Euoplocephalus tutus. Phylogenetic evaluation locations Scolosaurus because the sister taxon to Ziapelta (Ziapelta sanjuanensis) from New Mexico.
To learn an earlier Every thing Dinosaur article concerning the discovery of Ziapelta: New Armoured Dinosaur from New Mexico.
A spokesperson from Every thing Dinosaur confirmed that the Scolosaurus cutleri (NHMUK R5161) had been the inspiration behind the dermal armour configuration on quite a few armoured dinosaur fashions.
The image (above) exhibits the PNSO Ankylosaurus dinosaur mannequin. The dermal armour on this determine has likely been impressed by the Scolosaurus holotype materials.
To view the vary of PNSO prehistoric animal figures accessible from Every thing Dinosaur: PNSO Prehistoric Animal Fashions.
Remembering William Edmund Cutler
The spokesperson added:
“After we go to the Museum, we all the time wish to say hey to the Scolosaurus specimen. It’s a spectacular fossil. We spare a couple of moments to contemplate how harmful fossil amassing could be. That is one dinosaur that proved to be able to nonetheless severely injuring an individual some seventy-four million years after the ankylosaurid died. If it weren’t for the efforts of many industrial fossil hunters right now, different wonderful dinosaur specimens can be misplaced to science.”
Go to the award-winning Every thing Dinosaur web site: Dinosaur Toys and Prehistoric Animal Fashions.
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