The only green-boned dinosaur fossil ever discovered is set to take center stage this fall at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. “Gnatalie” (pronounced Natalie) will grace the Museum’s new wing and community hub, where her verdant remains will be on display for all to see.
As well as being the only green-colored fossil specimen on the planet, Gnatalie – all 23 meters (75 feet) of her – is the most complete sauropod skeletal mount on the US West Coast.
Her unusual coloring is thanks to infilling by the green mineral celadonite during the fossilization process. Celadonite forms in volcanic or hydrothermal conditions that normally destroy buried bones, which means it’s very rarely found in fossils. However, in Gnatalie’s case, it is thought the mineral entered the fossils around 50 million to 80 million years ago when volcanic activity created conditions hot enough for it to replace a previous mineral – and just like that, this viridescent oddity was born. Turns out it really isn’t easy being green, at least not for dinosaurs (or mammals).
Discovered in the Badlands of Utah in 2007, she is actually a composite mount of around 350 fossils from six animals, all belonging to the same species. The specimens were long-necked, long-tailed herbivorous dinosaurs – similar to Diplodocus but a new species – that roamed the planet 150 million years ago in the late Jurassic Era.
Named earlier this year after a public vote as an ode to the relentless bugs that plagued the dig site during the excavation, Gnatalie will be the biggest dinosaur at LA’s Natural History Museum.
“Dinosaurs are a great vehicle for teaching our visitors about the nature of science,” said Dr Luis M. Chiappe of the museum’s Dinosaur Institute in a statement, “and what better than a green, almost 80-foot-long [24-meter] dinosaur to engage them in the process of scientific discovery and make them reflect on the wonders of the world we live in!”
The discovery will be documented in a scientific paper to be published next year – but until then, fans of Gnatalie can enjoy her emerald-hued weirdness in all its glory at the Natural History Museum this fall.
And there’s always Eric the opalized plesiosaur, whose remains turned into literal gems, if you’re in need of a weird dino bone fix in the meantime.
Source Link: Gnatalie, The World’s Only Green-Boned Dinosaur, To Go On Display In LA