The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences receives the skeleton of the long-necked dinosaur “Dan” | to know

Like Arkhane, an allosaurus that has been on display in the museum in Brussels since 2019, Dan was discovered in Kaycee, Wyoming, USA. The site is in the Morrison Formation, which dates back to the Upper Jurassic, in a stratum about 155 million years old. The formation is a paradise for paleontologists: some of the most famous dinosaurs like Diplodocus, Stegosaurus and Allosaurus have been discovered in its sediments since the late 19th century.

Dan was largely excavated in the summer of 2018 and 2019. The “specimen” is partially articulated, and the bones are still adjacent. The quality of the fossils is excellent. We doubt the skeleton will be 85 percent complete. Based on Dan’s thighs, which are 170 centimeters long, we estimate that his height was about 20 meters.”

(Read more below the photos)

Identification and full confirmation of other scientific aspects is possible only after preparation of the skeleton. This phase will start this year and will last for at least two years. Preliminary analysis of the raw bones indicates that Dan belongs to the group Diplodocin, of which Diplodocus is the most famous genus, but Dan probably belongs to a new genus of sauropods ‘Diplodocin’.

The skeleton was purchased by RBINS in 2019 with the approval of the Federal Science Policy and Procurement Advisory Committee, due to its heritage value, scientific significance and potential for museum. Preparation and assembly is carried out with the financial support of the National Lottery.

Wasn’t Tyrannosaurus Rex the only one of its kind?

Argentine scientists have discovered a new species of “armless” dinosaur

Largest Jurassic pterodactyl fossils have been found in Scotland