Dinosaurs are remarkable and fascinating creatures that lived over millions of years ago. You would think after all this time, our obsession with them would be over, however, no way. Although they no longer exist, their dinosaur fossils keep our interest. Paleontologists have discovered some of the most incredible dinosaurs there ever was. Today there are hundreds of fantastic dinosaur skeleton replica in museums all across the world. Here represents a list of astonishing dinosaur fossils.
- Hadrosaurus (1868) – United States of America
Discovered by paleontologist Joseph Leidy, the Hadrosaurus lived in North America in forests and freshwaters. It is a species of duck-billed dinosaurs. Found almost complete, the first fossils of this dinosaur were documented in 1868. What’s so unique about the Hadrosaurus was that it was the first-ever mounted dinosaur skeleton.
- Femur of A Megalosaurus (1676) – England
In 1676 a portion of a massive dinosaur fossil was discovered by an English Oxford Professor. No one knew at that time if the fossil portion was from a reptile or a similar organism. Years later, it was scientist William Buckland who named it Megalosaurus. It took twenty years for a paleontologist named Richard Owen to exclusively identified the fossil as a dinosaur. Megalosaurus is an enormous carnivore theropod dinosaur. The Megalosaurus had a monstrous head, long curved teeth, short forelimbs, and a robust muscular body.
- Ichthyosaur Giving Birth (2011) South Majiashan – China
The Ichthyosaur was an unusual top ocean air-breathing predator. They naturally derived from land reptiles, and they can grow to be the length of a bus. This stunning dinosaur fossil is 248 million years old. Unluckily, the ancient Ichthyosaur died while giving birth to her offspring, a tragic misfortunate. The fossil revealed the mom with at least three babies. There was a baby in her stomach, one halfway out the birth canal, and one underneath the mom’s body. When the team initially collected the dinosaur fossils, they were unaware it belonged to an Ichthyosaur.
- Diplodocus (1878) – United States of America
A unique find, the Diplodocus was recognized as the longest dinosaur. The Diplodocus was discovered by scientist Benjamin Mudge and Samuel Wendell Williston at the Como Bluff in Wyoming. The Diplodocus contains a fascinating skeleton that consists of two rows of bones under its tail for increased structural support. Diplodocus are plant eaters and among one of the most significant fossil discoveries.
- An ongoing Combat Forever (1971) – Mongolia
Frozen in time forever, the intense battle between the Velociraptor and the Protoceratops will remain unprecedented. Velociraptor is a carnivorous dinosaur that hunted herbivorous dinosaurs like the Protoceratops. The two fossilized species of dinosaurs will eternally be a fantastic dinosaur discovery. The two were preserved in a fierce battle. The rare fossil showed the Protoceratops attacked at its carotid artery with the Velociraptor’s claw. The Protoceratops, however, had its jaws locked on the Velociraptor’s arms. Scientists have concluded that a possible dune collapsed on the dinosaurs while they were still in combat.
Dinosaur skeleton fossils are unique timekeepers. They transport us back in time to help us to understand more about dinosaurs and what it was like in their time. All fossils are exceptional, but the ones above died or were discovered under particular conditions. So the next time you see a dinosaur skeleton replica think about their life millions of years ago and that dinosaur’s story.