Monday 28 November 2022 07:17 PM Skeleton of a PREGNANT T-rex will be unveiled to the public for the first time ... trends now
The fossilized remains of a pregnant Tyrannosaurus rex are set to be unveiled to the public for the first time at New Zealand's Auckland War Memorial Museum on December 2.
The remains were unearthed in the Hell Creek Formation of northwestern Montana by paleontologists who believe the 38-foot-long predator, named Barbara, walked the Earth more than 66 million years ago.
Barbara is only one of three pregnant T-rex fossils ever found and is 'a rare opportunity' to discover the gender of any dinosaur.
The skeleton is praised for featuring several of the dinosaur's largest bones in fantastic condition, including her head and jaws.
The dinosaur, named Barbara, was pregnant when she walked the Earth more than 66 million years ago
The specimen's foot bone shows signs of an injury, likely a traumatic tendon injury, which paleontologists believe would have caused the dinosaur to limp as she walked.
The injury, however, would have hindered the T-rex's ability to hunt, so she likely became a scavenger until she could hunt again.
Barbara's bones were found at the Hell Creek Formation's quarry site, one of the world's most famous fossils formations.
Paleontologists had to employ a bulldozer to unearth the remains, as they were encased in 66 million years of sediment.
'To ensure as much of 'Barbara' was discovered as possible, the team needed to remove the 'overburden' above the 66-million-year-old layer of earth that contained the fossils of 'Barbara' (called the 'fossil-bearing layer'),' according to a report published by the Auckland Museum.
The skeleton shows a protruding abdomen that held eggs before the dinosaur died. Barbara is only one of three T-rex fossils ever found
Barbara's skeleton, which measures 11 feet high, is 47 percent original when measured by bone density, making her the eighth most complete T-rex
'Specimens like Tyrannosaurus rex can be spread out over very large distances, depending on how the skeleton was distributed before burial. The team began the excavation process with a space 90 feet long and 20 feet wide.'
Barbara's skeleton, which measures 11 feet high, is 47 percent original when measured by bone density, making her the eighth most complete T-rex.
'Barbara's bones are mounted on an elegant and unobtrusive metal framework that allows easy access to the individual elements,' the report reads.
'Incomplete elements are being combined with a cast of the Tyrannosaurus rex ‘Stan’ (BHI 3033), with adaptations made to the casts to match the different proportions of ‘Barbara.’
'The casts are painted to match to
