2 months ago
16
A rare
green
dinosaur fossil has been discovered in southeastern
Utah
and reassembled by a team from the
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
(NHMLAC).
The collected bones don't belong to a single dinosaur but are instead a mix of parts from two or more prehistoric reptiles of the same species found at the site, according to NetGeo.
The species remains unidentified and may be new to science, but experts believe it likely belongs to the genus diplodocus due to its distinct long neck and four sturdy legs.
Dinosaur named 'Gnatalie'
The excavation team has temporarily named the dinosaur "Gnatalie," inspired by the swarm of gnats that appeared during the first summer at the dig site.
According to
National Geographic
, the
150-million-year-old
dinosaur was initially discovered in 2007 amidst a "logjam" of various dinosaur bones, including those of diplodocus, stegosaurus, allosaurus, camarasaurus, and other species.
First green dinosaur skeleton
to be exhibited globally
The dinosaur is 75 feet long - almost double the length of an average city bus - and weighs approximately five tons.
After preparation at the discovery site, the bones were sent to Research Casting International (
RCI
) in Canada—a leading provider of museum technical services—for casting and mounting. Gnatalie has since been displayed in Los Angeles and it is also the first green dinosaur skeleton to be exhibited globally.
The unusual green hue resulted from volcanic activity between 80 to 50 million years ago, which altered the bones' color through the formation of a new green mineral, according to NetGeo.
In November, the green dinosaur skeleton will become the main attraction of a new wing at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
