earthstory: Sophie the StegosaurusThe most complete skeleton of a young adult stegosaur who died aro
earthstory: Sophie the StegosaurusThe most complete skeleton of a young adult stegosaur who died around 150 million years ago is about to become the first whole dinosaur to go on exhibition in over a century in the grand entry hall of London’s Natural History Museum’s Earth wing (a place I have haunted since childhood, and worked in as a volunteer). She was originally discovered in Wyoming, which was a subtropical forest when Sophie roamed the world.Sophie was bought from a private dealer, and named after daughter of the hedge fund manager who paid for her. She is a mere 5.6 metres long by 2,9 tall, compared to the largest known specimen that measures over 9 metres.Before being mounted the bones were CT and laser scanned for research purposes, before being set up to wow those entering that lovely and quirky building. Richard Fortey wrote a worthy book on the back half of the place some years back that I’d recommend to anyone who loves this special place. Owning the most complete known specimen will no doubt allow the museum’s scientists to discover some interesting things about how these beasts lived and died. LozImage credit: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/04/sophie-stegosaurus-london-natural-history-museum I wish I could travel to London… -- source link