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