(Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 29, 2015) --- The skull, part of the full skeletal remains of the first baby Pentaceratops dinosaur ever discovered and the skull of an adult Pentaceratops were airlifted from the Bisti Wilderness/Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness Study Area in the Four Corners region of New Mexico today by two New Mexico National Guard Black Hawk helicopters.
The airlifted fossil bones were placed on a National Guard vehicle for transport from the recovery site to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (NMMNHS) in Albuquerque. The operation was a collaborative effort between the NMMNHS, a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural affairs, the New Mexico National Guard and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
"This ranks very high in the importance of Pentaceratops discoveries because it is the first baby skeleton, including the skull, ever recovered, and one of less than 10 adult Pentaceratops skulls unearthed," said Dr. Spencer Lucas, Chief Curator at NMMNHS.
Pentaceratops takes its name, which means "five-horned face," from the five horns—one above the nostril, two above the eyes and one on each cheek. One of the largest horned dinosaurs, Pentaceratops was discovered in New Mexico in the 1920s. A life-sized bronze sculpture of this iconic New Mexican dinosaur, nicknamed "Spike," is in front of the NMMNHS's entrance. One of the most diverse groups of dinosaurs of the Cretaceous, ceratopsians were the horned dinosaurs, best known from Triceratops. New Mexico's best known ceratopsian is Pentaceratops, from the Fruitland and Kirtland formations near Farmington.
The skeleton of the baby Pentaceratops was discovered in 2011 in the Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness south of Farmington by Amanda Cantrell, NMMNHS Geoscience Collections Manager. Two years later, NMMNHS Research Associate, Dr. Robert Sullivan found an adult skull of Pentaceratops in the Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness Study area, about 10 miles from Cantrell's discovery.
"BLM is very excited about these important discoveries found on the BLM Bisti Wilderness and the Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness Study Area that will contribute to our understanding of life on earth," said Aden Seidlitz, Acting BLM New Mexico State Director. "We appreciate the partnership we have with the NMMNHS and are thankful to the NM National Guard for their efforts at facilitating the airlift."
"Pentaceratops was one of the largest, if not the largest horned dinosaur that ever lived. They could be up to 27 feet long weighing an estimated 5 tons or more," said Dr. Lucas, "Almost all that scientists know about this dinosaur was discovered in the Cretaceous badlands of northwestern New Mexico. And, we thank the BLM and the New Mexico National Guard for their role in retrieving these important fossils which will greatly further that research."
A Natural History Museum crew excavated the dinosaurs over the past two years. Recently, the bones were encased in three large plaster blocks, each weighing three-quarters to one ton each. National Guard crews worked with staff from the Museum and the BLM in rigging cargo netting for the Black Hawk to airlift the fossils to the transport vehicle. The fossils were then transported to the NMMNHS in Albuquerque. Because of mud accumulations from recent rains, the body of the baby Pentaceratops could not be elevated enough to be netted for transport today, but will be transported to the Natural History Museum at a future date.
NMMNHS paleontological staff will remove the plaster casts, clean and stabilize the fossils. They will be put on display for a public viewing on November 5 from 5-7pm at the museum.
Media can download video and photographs provided by the NM National Guard available by Friday Oct. 30; at http://www.dvidshub.net/feature/PentaOps. Media is encouraged to visit the page and sign up for alerts by clicking on the green check mark and subscribing as a new user. The Member Registration page asks for an Account Type - use Media/Reporter/Blogger and provide the required information.
Any questions or issues with the registration can be directed to SFC Anna Doo, Digital Outreach Manager, New Mexico National Guard Public Affairs anna.l.doo.mil@mail.mil or 505-474-1204