Comments on: We are the 98% ... of a theropod skeleton

We are the 98% ... of a theropod skeleton

jjray — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:48:01 -0800

The most well-preserved dinosaur fossil ever found in Europe was recently announced: a 98 percent intact juvenile theropod that will be on public display this month in Munich.

By: saturday_morning

saturday_morning — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:58:56 -0800

Sometimes I go a while without thinking about the fact that there used to be fucking huge terrifying dragons wandering all over every inch of this planet. Thank you for the reminder. Also, this looks like a fantastic exhibit all round. Dinosaurs and pretty rocks: the perfect first date.

By: Bulgaroktonos

Bulgaroktonos — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:01:38 -0800

Near-Perfect Young Dinosaur Fossil Found in Bavaria Oh good! I've been looking for a young dinosaur to raise, but all the ones I've considered have misbehaved.

By: glaucon

glaucon — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:11:01 -0800

I love seeing this. It reminds me of a movie I once saw, called Jurassic Park. It is about Dinosaurs. And Sam Neill.

By: resurrexit

resurrexit — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:11:27 -0800

(Your post title's great.)

By: griphus

griphus — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:12:53 -0800

It is absolutely amazing the amount of intricacy and detail this specimen contains. The Lord of Lies, who buried this in the ground to deceive us, truly is an artist extraordinaire.

By: Sticherbeast

Sticherbeast — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:13:37 -0800

Oh good! I've been looking for a young dinosaur to raise, but all the ones I've considered have misbehaved. The Land Before Time + The Stepfather = ?

By: Bunny Ultramod

Bunny Ultramod — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:14:07 -0800

Fuck it. Pull some DNA out of those bones and bring this guy back to life. I'm feeling ballsy and I want to fight it.

By: MCMikeNamara

MCMikeNamara — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:14:47 -0800

Thanks, griphus, I really appreciate that somebody is finally recognizing my work.

By: Artw

Artw — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:14:50 -0800

Cool - so this is something new and they haven;t nailed it down beyond theropod?

By: lekvar

lekvar — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:16:06 -0800

The amount of detail in the fossil is amazing. The lack of detail in the reporting is frustrating.

By: Riptor

Riptor — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:19:01 -0800

The Land Before Time + The Stepfather = ? Baby

By: jquinby

jquinby — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:19:07 -0800

Amazing. Surely it's all stone, but some of that stuff in the middle looks a bit like skin.

By: Abiezer

Abiezer — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:20:37 -0800

Flimsy ribs, no wonder they died out!

By: jimmythefish

jimmythefish — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:21:46 -0800

Amazing. Surely it's all stone, but some of that stuff in the middle looks a bit like skin. I'd guess that due to the way they're excavating it (look at how much they've retained on the left side of the tail's curve where the dark skin-looking patches are located) that they're definitely something important even if they aren't skin.

By: dr_dank

dr_dank — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:22:06 -0800

I wonder what Jay Mascis has to say about this...

By: jimmythefish

jimmythefish — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:38:21 -0800

I wonder what Jay Mascis has to say about this... He feels the pain of everyone, so I imagine he would want more pictures and a more detailed article including a discussion relating to the skin fragments and whether this is really a new species.

By: Think_Long

Think_Long — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:17:48 -0800

I wonder what Jay Mascis has to say about this... Have you ever heard him intereviewed? He wouldn't say anything. It would just be uncomfortable throat-clearing.

By: happyroach

happyroach — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:47:02 -0800

This is why we need genetic engineering; so I can have a pet theropod. And a pet glyptodont. And a pet Channel Islands Mastodon. Because that's what genetic engineering is for.

By: Renoroc

Renoroc — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:59:28 -0800

I don't understand how the German people declaring the find as a cultural asset would diminish its value. Should it not go up?

By: benito.strauss

benito.strauss — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:46:34 -0800

I assume that means it can't be sold to a private collector, reducing the market and thus reducing the price it could sell for, which they've confused with the value.

By: Twang

Twang — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:31:48 -0800

The Smithsonian article mentions that it was found in the Solnhofen limestone. That's the same place that yielded the first Archaeopteryx (also Theropod) in 1861 ((and most of the rest found since then). Also yielded several others, like Juravenator. WP says the first Arch. sold in London for £700, which was serious change in the mid-1800s (about £50,000 today). Might have something to do with the secrecy about the location.

By: onhazier

onhazier — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:42:48 -0800

Who's the cutest little theropod? You are! Oh, yes you are!

By: Uther Bentrazor

Uther Bentrazor — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:38:40 -0800

I love this! Like most boys who grew up in the 80's I was obsessed with dinosaurs. One of the more disillusioning things was learning that a great many of the dinosaurs depicted in a lot of the illustrated books were largely imagined from a tooth, or an armbone, not to mention the whole issue of feathers.

By: Crabby Appleton

Crabby Appleton — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:20:41 -0800

Well, Uther, imagine how those of us who were boys during the Apollo program feel.