Palaeontologists unearth massive 72-million-year-old dinosaur skull in Alberta

Palaeontologists have made an exciting discovery near Grande Prairie, Alberta. They have unearthed a massive skull of a Pachyrhinosaurus, a plant-eating dinosaur that lived 72 million years ago. Weighing in at 600 pounds (272 kg), they call it "Big Sam."

Emily Bamforth, a palaeontologist at the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, described the Pachyrhinosaurus as “the smaller, older cousin of the triceratops.” She pointed out that the skull is about the size of a baby elephant. The site also has many juvenile bones, showing that young and adult dinosaurs once lived there.

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Challenges of extraction

Excavating Big Sam was not easy. The skull was found upside down and tangled with about 300 other bones. To carefully extract it, the team first stabilised the skull with plaster and wooden planks. They then used a crane to lift it out of the ground for further study at the museum.

Bamforth expressed her enthusiasm about the discovery, saying, “I have extracted skulls in the past, but this is probably the biggest one I’ve ever done. It’s pretty exciting.”

The history of the site

The discovery of this bonebed dates back nearly 50 years. A high school teacher found it while taking a walk, but it took a decade for experts to investigate the site. Once they arrived, they realised it was one of the densest dinosaur bonebeds in North America, with 100 to 300 bones per square meter.

Since then, palaeontologists have returned to the site many times, finding bones from various dinosaurs, turtles and lizards. Sixteen years ago, they found another large skull of a 30-year-old Pachyrhinosaurus, now displayed in the museum.

(With inputs from agencies)