Edmontosaurus annectens, a large herbivorous dinosaur with a duck-billed appearance, was first unearthed in 1908 by fossil collector C.H. Sternberg in east-central Wyoming. This initial skeleton, nicknamed the āAMNH mummy,ā is housed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Its scaly skin imprints provided the first approximations of the dinosaurās look.
More than a century later, paleontologist Paul C. Sereno from the University of Chicago revisited Sternbergās original dig site. The team unearthed two more Edmontosaurus mummies, revealing finely detailed imprints of the dinosaurās fleshy exterior in a sub-millimeter clay layer. These discoveries unveiled precise details, including the scale size and tail spikes arrangement, revealing surprising new insights about Edmontosaurus.
Evolving Images
Our understanding of Edmontosaurus has evolved over time, even before Serenoās research. In 1909, paleoartist Charles R. Knight created an early illustration based on Sternbergās find. Although partly accurate, Knight erroneously depicted a crest running the entire body length since the initial fossil had no tail. This artistic leap made the dinosaur appear dragon-like.
In 1984, this image was revised by renowned paleontologist Jack Horner, who discovered a tail section featuring spikes instead of the previously assumed crest. However, due to preparation inaccuracies, Horner imagined the spikes as rectangular and separate, extending from the tail to the head, another error.
These discoveries led to numerous conflicting interpretations over the years. āI think now we finally nailed down the way it truly looked,ā Sereno asserts, highlighting the significance of recent finds in providing a definitive depiction of Edmontosaurus.