Group 6 Copy 1,280
4

Extraordinary Discoveries

The results of our 3-week expedition to collect vertebrate fossils from the Almond Formation of Wyoming was an extraordinary success. The highlights of the season included the collection of an enormous hadrosaurid or 'duck-billed' dinosaur skull and the discovery and recovery of parts of a ceratopsian dinosaur skull. Skulls are the most important part of dinosaurian anatomy for determining what species one has, so these specimens will very likely reveal if the Almond dinosaurs represent brand new, never-before-seen species.

We also succeeded in collecting hundreds of other extraordinary dinosaur, plant, fish, crocodile, turtle, and invertebrate specimens which will reveal vast amounts of information about this extinct ecosystem. About 25 people gave their time and attention to help us make these discoveries, and we could not have had a better team.

My team members and I were absolutely blown away by the generosity of Experiment.com donors, especially fans of Danny Anduzza's Paleontologizing twitch channel. Without your help, we could not have made this accomplishment happen. The specimens are now all safe and sound at the museum, where the multi-year process of cleaning up these new specimens is now beginning. When these specimens have been cleaned and stabilized, the serious scientific research can begin, where we will ultimately reveal the fruits our labor and share your passion for supporting science to the whole world. Our fieldwork in the year of 2023 will go down in the history of paleontology as a major step forward in our understanding of the history of our wonderful continent and the incredible beings that once called it home.

We will be back out again next year to keep the hunt going. Science never stops.

-Ethan

4 comments

Join the conversation!Sign In
  • Rahardja
    Rahardja
    Selama ekspedisi selama tiga Minggu apa saja yang di temukan kakak? Apakah menemukan fosil atau emas batangan yang sangat berharga? Hehehe
    Feb 18, 2024
  • stephen
    stephen
    keep it up , its a gd work
    Nov 09, 2023
  • Joseph Fisher
    Joseph FisherBacker
    I'm glad we were able to help.
    Nov 09, 2023
  • Mark A Luis
    Mark A LuisBacker
    Thank you and Paleontologizing for allowing me to be a part of this experience. Thank you for creating an opportunity to support science research and outreach.
    Nov 08, 2023

About This Project

In 2021 and 2023 we surveyed the Late Cretaceous Almond Formation of Wyoming for fossils. We discovered the first crocodiles, turtles, and fish from the deposit, as well as an abundance of dinosaurs. Being geographically and temporally intermediate between well-studied formations to the north and south, these specimens likely represent new species. To interpret and document these specimens we will lead an expedition to begin excavations this summer.

More Lab Notes From This Project

Blast off!

Browse Other Projects on Experiment

Related Projects

Bring a Triceratops to Seattle

In 2008, Dr. Christian Sidor’s team discovered the bones of a Triceratops in Wyoming. Those bones included...

The End of an Era: Resolving the dinosaur extinction and the beginning of the "Age of Mammals" in Northwest Argentina

The extinction of non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago paved the way for the "Age of Mammals", but the...

Leaves in stone: does decay control the fossil record?

Plant fossils provide a record of the terrestrial ecosystem for the past 400 million years, but we do not...

Backer Badge Funded

Add a comment