Two massive, duck-billed dinosaurs have been reconstructed from remarkably preserved remains in Wyoming. The pair of Edmontosaurus annectens specimens, nicknamed "Ed Sr." and "Ed Jr.", provide unprecedented insights into the anatomy of these creatures.
At around 39 feet long and weighing about 6.2 tons, Edmontosaurus annectens was one of the largest and most common dinosaurs in present-day North America during the Late Cretaceous period. Its existence is confirmed by fossil records dating back to 68-66 million years ago, which indicate it likely survived until the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
The unusual preservation process that led to these "mummies" involved a flash flood covering and drying a sun-dried dinosaur carcass. As the waters rushed over the body, clay from the surrounding sediment electrostatically drew onto its skin, preserving delicate details such as scales and hooves in three-dimensional form before the organic matter continued to decay.
The most unexpected discovery on "Ed Sr." is the presence of wedge-shaped, flat-bottomed hooves similar to those found on horses. The team was able to reconstruct the overall appearance based on additional examinations of fossilized duck-bill footprints from the same era.
These findings not only shed new light on the anatomy and behavior of Edmontosaurus annectens but also provide unique insights into the evolution of dinosaurs with hooves.
At around 39 feet long and weighing about 6.2 tons, Edmontosaurus annectens was one of the largest and most common dinosaurs in present-day North America during the Late Cretaceous period. Its existence is confirmed by fossil records dating back to 68-66 million years ago, which indicate it likely survived until the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
The unusual preservation process that led to these "mummies" involved a flash flood covering and drying a sun-dried dinosaur carcass. As the waters rushed over the body, clay from the surrounding sediment electrostatically drew onto its skin, preserving delicate details such as scales and hooves in three-dimensional form before the organic matter continued to decay.
The most unexpected discovery on "Ed Sr." is the presence of wedge-shaped, flat-bottomed hooves similar to those found on horses. The team was able to reconstruct the overall appearance based on additional examinations of fossilized duck-bill footprints from the same era.
These findings not only shed new light on the anatomy and behavior of Edmontosaurus annectens but also provide unique insights into the evolution of dinosaurs with hooves.
we were all thinking about how cool it would be to find dinosaur fossils and then this news comes out and i'm just over here like wow what a way to spend your summer days digging for bones 
meanwhile ed sr and ed jr are living their best lives 68 million years ago 
can't even imagine the wedges on those hooves tho, is it even possible for horses to have them?
. I mean, who knew? It's like their ancestors were sneaky little dino-horse hybrids or something! The fact that we can learn so much from just a few well-preserved fossils is just incredible.
! so like, can you even imagine being a paleontologist and getting to study actual mummies from like 68 million years ago?! they're so cool! I wonder what it would be like to have hooves like Ed Jr. though 
... Anyway, these finds are like something straight out of Jurassic Park, but way more realistic 
And the details they've uncovered about its anatomy, especially those flat-bottomed hooves, are mind-blowing! 
Like, can you even imagine being one of the first humans to see a 39ft long Edmontosaurus just chillin' in the wild? 
This is like, the most epic archaeological find ever and I'm so hyped for more discoveries about these amazing creatures!