Meet The Dinos of Deep Time' - at The Smithsonian - Smithsonian

6/5/2019 Meet the Dinos of ‘Deep Time’ | At the Smithsonian | Smithsonian
SMITHSONIAN.COM | June 3, 2019, 8 a.m. Follow on Twitter @madsburk
Meet the Dinos of ‘Deep Time’

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At the Smithsonian
When the Smithsonian’s new Hall of Fossils—Deep Time exhibition

opens its doors on June 8, hundreds of species will spring to simulated
life. The 700 fossil specimens that roam the hall cover a lot of
paleontological ground, spanning 3.7 billion years of our planet’s
history and representing a wide variety of organisms, from furry
mammals to tiny insects to leafy fronds. Among them are some of the
most iconic and fearsome creatures to ever walk the Earth: the
dinosaurs who dominated the ancient Mesozoic Era. These creatures
are striking updated poses for the new display—some dramatic, some
understated, but all up to date with current scienti c research. Since
the hall closed for renovations in 2014, experts have spent years
carefully ddling with the museum’s prehistoric skeletons, making
sure every bone is in place to tell an engaging story and represent the
newest discoveries in paleontology. Take a look at six of the toothy,
spiky, scaly stars of the new hall—now ready for their closeup.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/meet-toothy-spiky-scaly-stars-deep-time-180972271/ 1/14
Tyrannosaurus rex
The T. rex reigns supreme as the bold centerpiece in the new fossil hall.
(NMNH)
The dino: There’s a reason T. rex, which lived 68 to 66 million years

ago, has grown into a fearsome cultural icon, stomping across movie
screens and into the world’s imagination. The predator was one of the
largest carnivores to ever walk the Earth, towering over other
dinosaurs at more than 15 feet tall and 40 feet long. With its huge
serrated teeth, shaped and sized like bananas, T. rex could tear through
esh and crush bone, eating up to hundreds of pounds of food in a
single bite. The carnivore earned its name, which translates to “tyrant
lizard king,” dominating its food chain by devouring plant-eating prey
and even smaller carnivores.
The fossil: The T. rex reigns supreme as the bold centerpiece in the new
fossil hall. The creature is dramatically posed either about to deliver a
death blow to its prey, the Triceratops, or taking a scrumptious bite of

an already dead one. Dubbed “The Nation’s T. Rex,” the fossil is just
beginning its stay in the capital as part of a 50-year loan from the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers. Recreational fossil hunter Kathy Wankel
discovered the specimen in Montana in 1988 while digging around on a
family vacation. When a team from the nearby Museum of the Rockies
completed the excavation, they found the T. rex was well intact, with
about 50 percent of its bones in place.
Research and questions: Though the T. rex fossil is one of the best-
studied specimens in the hall, it still has some secrets to reveal, says
Matt Carrano, the museum’s dinosaur curator. Scientists still aren’t
sure whether T. rex was a brutal killer or more of a scavenger, or some
combination of the two. In the display, Carrano says curators
intentionally left some room for interpretation as to whether the
predator is killing a live Triceratops or chowing down on a carcass. And,
of course, there’s the mystery of how T. rex used its tiny arms, which
were too short to hold onto prey. It appears the arms were still
functional, with all necessary muscles in place to o er mobility and
some strength, but paleontologists, says Carrano, are stumped when it
comes to their potential use.
Triceratops
Triceratops had a huge head, about one-third the length of its whole body.
(NMNH)
The dino: Despite its massive size—roughly the same as an elephant’s

—and intimidating horns, Triceratops, which lived 68 to 66 million
years ago, was a (mostly) peaceful herbivore that munched on shrubs
and palms. The dinosaur may have used its horns and bony neck frill to
protect itself from predators like a hungry T. rex or to battle for a mate.
Triceratops had a huge head, about one-third the length of its whole
body, and its beak-like mouth was lled to the brim with up to 800
teeth.
The fossil: The Deep Time Triceratops is actually a “computer-assisted

digital version” of the museum’s former display specimen, Carrano
says. The original skeleton was a composite that borrowed bones from
ten di erent animals, which resulted in a charming but oddly

proportioned mashup. After spending nearly a century on the museum
oor in less-than-ideal display conditions, the fossil was in rough
shape. So, in 1998, curators opted to replace the crowd favorite with a
cast, created by scanning the original fossil and manipulating a digital
version into a more accurate skeleton. The cast version, nicknamed
Hatcher after the scientist, John Bell Hatcher, who collected the
original skeletons in the late 19th century, is the one being attacked by
the T. rex in the new hall. The original fossil is now held safely in the
museum’s collections for research.
Research/questions: Paleontologists are pretty con dent the

Triceratops served as prey for T. rex. A number of studied Triceratops
fossils are peppered with puncture marks from the lizard king’s
distinctive teeth, Carrano says. Less certain is how Triceratops
interacted among its own kind. Most Triceratops fossils unearthed by
paleontologists lay in isolation, far from any others. In 2009, however,
new research suggested the dinosaurs may have been more social than
previously thought, after scientists discovered a “bonebed” with three
juvenile Triceratops skeletons clustered together.
Camarasaurus
Some scientists suggest Camarasaurus may have swallowed rocks to help

it digest its leafy meals more easily. (NMNH)
The dino: Camarasaurus lentus, which lived 157 to 148 million years
ago, belonged to a class of gentle giants called sauropods. With its long,
exible neck and spoon-shaped teeth, the herbivore had its pick of
leafy snacks, from high-up treetops to shrubby ground vegetation.
Though scientists early on believed that Camarasaurus was a swamp
dweller, a century-old study found the dinosaur, along with its fellow
sauropods, actually walked tall on solid ground. Some scientists
suggest Camarasaurus may have swallowed rocks to help it digest its
leafy meals more easily—a fairly common practice among dinosaurs
and their bird descendants—but there’s no direct fossil evidence of this
practice in sauropods, Carrano says.
The fossil: In the old fossil hall, this Camarasaurus was curled up on the
ground in what’s known as a death pose. Though that mount concealed
some of the damaged portions of the delicate fossil material, it also
made the specimen easy to overlook, Carrano says. Now, the herbivore
is displayed in a more dramatic pose, rearing up over the hall. To
achieve that new look, the fossil team dug out additional bones from
the surrounding rock and prepared portions that were hidden in the
previous setup. The Deep Time specimen is now a standout fossil
display. It is likely the only sauropod mounted on its hind legs and
using real fossils, Carrano says. The dinosaur’s head is the one piece of
the display that is a cast and not a real fossil; the actual Camarasaurus
skull is separately located on a platform beside the body, so visitors can
get a closer look.
Research/questions: The specimen’s new pose may prove to be

controversial, as some paleontologists don’t believe the Camarasaurus
could rear on its hind legs, Carrano says—although he wonders how
else they could have reproduced. While this specimen is quite complete
relative to others of its kind, it has yet to be thoroughly studied. The
museum’s well-preserved Camarasaurus skull could o er a way to
better understand the internal anatomy of the dinosaur’s head, Carrano
says, especially with the possibility of sending it through a CT scanner.
Allosaurus
Allosaurus may have fed by running up to take a big bite out of its prey and
then sprinted away before its victim had time to react. (NMNH)
The dino: Though not as notorious as T. rex, the Allosaurus was a

similarly vicious theropod—or two-legged carnivore—that rivaled its
infamous cousin in size. Allosaurus fragilis, which lived 157 to 148
million years ago, fed mainly on large herbivores, and may have
tangled with the spiky-tailed Stegosaurus. Its unusual, hourglass-
shaped vertebrae earned Allosaurus its name, which translates to
“di erent lizard.” Some paleontologists think Allosaurus, which could
reach speeds of more than 20 miles per hour, fed by running up to take
a big bite out of its prey and then sprinted away before its victim had
time to react.
The fossil: This specimen, excavated from the fossil-rich Morrison

Formation in Colorado in the late 19th century, was one of the rst
mostly complete examples of the Allosaurus to be unearthed. Though
the Allosaurus is relatively common as far as fossils go, paleontologists
often nd specimens in clusters with their bones all jumbled together,
Carrano says. So, the fact that the museum’s skeleton came from one
individual makes it unusual and has garnered a lot of scienti c interest
over the years. Because the Allosaurus was a predator, it’s often
portrayed on the hunt, but curators opted to show a softer side of the
animal for the new hall, Carrano says: The updated display shows
Allosaurus tending to its nest, with its tail curled around a cluster of
fossil eggs.
Research/questions: Despite the dinosaur’s domestic pose, researchers

aren’t yet sure whether this particular Allosaurus was a female,
Carrano says. This is one of a number of mysteries about the specimen
Carrano and other researchers are actively working to solve; he says
Allosaurus is number one on their list of research priorities, in part
because the last thorough study of the fossil was completed almost a
century ago (and also because it’s one of Carrano’s personal favorites).
Using today’s updated technology and a greater base of dinosaur
knowledge, researchers hope to answer questions of the dinosaur’s age
and closely related species, as well as gure out the cause of a strange
injury in the skeleton—a “wacky-looking” disruption where a whole
new bone seems to have started growing out of a broken shoulder blade
on the animal’s left side.
Diplodocus
Diplodocus, scientists think, could crack the tip of its tail like a whip to
communicate or scare o predators. (NMNH)
The dino: Just like Camarasaurus, Diplodocus hallorum was a towering,

plant-eating sauropod that live 157 to 150 million years ago. However,
it had a sti er neck than Camarasaurus, with longer vertebrae
preventing it from bending too far up or down. Instead, Diplodocus
used its neck more like a shing rod, sticking its head straight out to
mow down plants with its set of peg-like teeth (which may have
regrown as often as once a month). It was one of the longest dinosaurs,
with a body that could stretch to about 100 feet; most of that length
came from its neck and tail. Some scientists believe Diplodocus could
even crack the tip of its tail like a whip to communicate or scare o
predators.
The fossil: This specimen is about 60 percent complete, Carrano says,

with the body and back end mainly intact. The museum rst put
Diplodocus on display in 1931, after years of prep work to mount the
enormous specimen. Now, after still more years of e ort, the skeleton
will once again tower over the Deep Time hall, this time in a more lively
pose. Diplodocus now appears to be in lumbering motion, with its tail
lifted slightly o the ground and its neck craning over visitors in the
hall’s central walkway.
Research/questions: Researchers are working to uncover the cause of

an unusual pathology in this specimen, Carrano says. The Diplodocus
appears to have su ered some sort of injury or infection: In one big
stretch of the tail, the dinosaur’s bones essentially fused together and
turned the whole section rigid, with bone covering up joints and some
tendons appearing to ossify. For the most part, though, Diplodocus is a
fairly well-studied and well-understood dinosaur, Carrano says.
Stegosaurus
This Stegosaurus fossil is actually the type specimen for its species, the
rst of its kind to be discovered and named. (NMNH)
The dino: Though Stegosaurus stenops itself was an herbivore, the

distinctive dinosaur was strategically adapted to fend o would-be
predators. Its skin was covered with a built-in armor, including bony
nodules guarding its neck and jagged plates down its back. Spikes
covering the tip of its tail transformed the creature’s exible back end
into a mace-like weapon. The Stegosaurus, which lived 157 to 148
million years ago, probably fed on plants low to the ground, since it had
a short neck not well-suited for reaching toward treetops. It also boasts
one of the smallest brain-to-body size ratios of any dinosaur.
Scientists have described the Stegosaurus’ brain as about the size and
shape of a bent hot dog, compared to its enormous schoolbus-sized

body.
The fossil: This Stegosaurus, on display at the far end of the hall
nearest the FossiLab, is a very special individual: It’s actually the type
specimen for its species, the rst of its kind to be discovered and
named. Before this fossil was excavated in 1886, paleontologists only
had bits and pieces of Stegosaurus skeletons, with no clear idea of what
a complete one would look like. Since then, this signature fossil has
served as the reference specimen for the species; meaning that
whenever a scientist thinks they might have a S. stenops fossil on their
hands, this is the model they use for comparison. The Stegosaurus is
mounted exactly how it was originally found in Colorado, in the death
pose it was holding in its rocky tomb, Carrano says. However, curators
chose to display it vertically—not semi-buried on the oor, as it was in
the old fossil hall—so visitors can get a fuller view of the specimen.
Research/questions: The Stegosaurus has an anatomy that is simply

“weird,” Carrano says. For one, the bones of its backbone are especially
tall, which makes the back extra sti , and paleontologists are still
stumped as to why. Its front legs are shorter than its back ones, which
doesn’t make a lot of sense for a dinosaur that seemed to walk on all
fours. Even the purpose of the bony plates lining its back remains a bit
of a mystery. “There’s a lot about their anatomy that, while we know
what it looks like,” says Carrano, we don’t know how it works.”
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6/5/2019 Meet the Dinos of ‘Deep Time’ | At the Smithsonian | Smithsonian

SMITHSONIAN.COM | June 3, 2019, 8 a.m. Follow on Twitter @madsburk

Meet the Dinos of ‘Deep Time’

When the Smithsonian’s new Hall of Fossils—Deep Time exhibition

The dino: There’s a reason T. rex, which lived 68 to 66 million years

death blow to its prey, the Triceratops, or taking a scrumptious bite of

The dino: Despite its massive size—roughly the same as an elephant’s

The fossil: The Deep Time Triceratops is actually a “computer-assisted

ten di erent animals, which resulted in a charming but oddly

Research/questions: Paleontologists are pretty con dent the

Some scientists suggest Camarasaurus may have swallowed rocks to help

Research/questions: The specimen’s new pose may prove to be

The dino: Though not as notorious as T. rex, the Allosaurus was a

The fossil: This specimen, excavated from the fossil-rich Morrison

Research/questions: Despite the dinosaur’s domestic pose, researchers

The dino: Just like Camarasaurus, Diplodocus hallorum was a towering,

The fossil: This specimen is about 60 percent complete, Carrano says,

Research/questions: Researchers are working to uncover the cause of

The dino: Though Stegosaurus stenops itself was an herbivore, the

shape of a bent hot dog, compared to its enormous schoolbus-sized

Research/questions: The Stegosaurus has an anatomy that is simply

Viewed using Just

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