The remains of the world's only green-boned dinosaur are on display at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, MTI reports, citing information from museum officials.
The long-necked, long-tailed herbivorous dinosaur was spotted by mosquitoes swarming in the excavation area.MosquitoesHis name is L NatalyaL. According to scientists, the distinctive color of the dinosaur remains is due to the white agate mineral that formed during fossilization, which led to the bones being colored olive green.
The fossils are usually brown from silica or black from iron minerals, and are rarely green because the chalcedony is formed under volcanic or hydrothermal conditions that destroy the bones. The chalcedony may have been incorporated into the fossil 50 to 80 million years ago.
The previously unknown specimen, measuring about 24 metres (85 feet) long, belongs to a new species, similar to a sauropod called Diplodocus, that lived 150 million years ago, in the late Jurassic period. Its bones were discovered in 2007 by researchers in the Utah Badlands.
Natalie will be the museum’s largest dinosaur and will be on view at the institution’s new visitor center starting in the fall. The dinosaur’s name was decided by a public vote announced by the museum, in which Natalie beat out other nominees, including Ferdie, Olive, Esme and Sage.
Follow the index on Facebook too!
