UCMP summer field research (cont.) |
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These thick-headed dinosaurs are of particular interest to Mark Goodwin, who studies growth and bone development in pachycephalosaurs and Triceratops. Mark is trying to identify patterns of growth, describe the internal architecture of the skulls, and test any biomechanical attributes these dinosaurs may have possessed. This summer, Mark, Horner, and the Museum of the Rockies crew found a variety of dinosaur specimens in the lower portion of the Hell Creek Formation. They also found two Triceratops skulls in the upper part of the Formation, a juvenile and subadult. Those skull bones that had weathered out of the rock were collected but much was left behind. A protective plaster jacket was placed over them to prevent further weathering during the winter. The subadult skull will be brought back to UCMP where it will be catalogued into the collection and studied. Jane Mason described her first field experience as “hard and wonderful at the same time, exhilarating yet exhausting.” Thanks to Dr. Horner and the good facilities at the campgrounds, “camping was a breeze.” A favorite memory for Jane was not related to field work—she witnessed two golden eagles engaged in a mating ritual. The male carried a snake in its talons as an offering to the female as both birds spiraled downward over the camp.
Nebraska, Colorado, Montana |
 Mark Goodwin holds the nose horn from a Triceratops skull found weathering out of a mudstone hill (part of the skull can be seen to the right of Mark’s head). (photo by Jack Horner)
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