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RE: Mummified Dinosaurs?
From: "Rafert, John" <JRAFERT@xray.indyrad.iupui.edu>
> You are right. Obviously there are no real mummified Dinosaurs(at least to
> date) in the sense of the Egyptian mummies. There is a hadrosaur in New York
> that was fossilized in such a way as to preserve it's dried skin which has
> shrunk tightly around the bones. It looks pretty much like a mummy, but of
> course is a fossil.
>
To clarify a little further, what happened with that specimen
(and several others), is that the dinosaur was naturally "mummified"
after death by a combination of drying and anoxia. This shriveled
mummy was buried in fine sediment before it decayed. As a result,
the silt made a very detailed cast of the skin before it disappeared.
There may also have been some preservation of the shape of internal
organs by a similar casting method.
So, in a sense, they *were* mummifed - it is just that all we
have left is a clay cast of the mummy.
swf@elsegundoca.ncr.com sarima@netcom.com
The peace of God be with you.