UChicago Fossil LabOne of the mummies of an Edmontosaurus annectens that was found in Wyoming.Scientists in Wyoming have unearthed two Edmontosaurus annectens fossils with detailed features that are so well preserved that these specimens are being called dinosaur mummies.Moreover, these fossils are so intact that, for the first time ever, researchers have been able to reconstruct the complete profile of a dinosaur and understand what it actually looked like, including the spikes along the creatures tail and most astonishingly its hooved feet.The Discovery Of Two Dinosaur Mummies, Intact Fossils With Preserved SkinTyler Keillor/UChicago Fossil LabThe scaly skin of this Edmontosaurus annectens dinosaur mummy is visible even to the naked eye.Before the researchers could get to reconstructing the profile of the Edmontosaurus annectens, they had to relocate the sites in Wyoming where dinosaur mummies were located, though not all fully excavated, in the early 1900s. A new study published in the journal Science describes how the team mapped out an entire dinosaur mummy zone although the term mummy might not mean what you think.Unlike the mummified human remains of ancient Egypt, for instance, these dinosaur mummies contain no organic remains. Instead, physical features like the skin, spikes, and hooves of the dinosaurs were preserved in a clay film. Shortly after the dinosaur died, a layer of clay 1/100th of an inch thick covered the creature, mummifying its features (not unlike a Nodosaur mummy found in 2017).This is a mask, a template, a clay layer so thin you could blow it away, said Paul Sereno, senior author of the study, in a statement from the University of Chicago. It was attracted to the outside of the carcass in a fluke event of preservation.UChicago Fossil LabAlthough paleontologists have been unearthing dinosaur remains for 200 years, theyve never found a truly intact specimen that revealed what these prehistoric beasts actually looked like until now.The team excavated two 66-million-year-old Edmontosaurus annectens mummies and got to work analyzing the remains. They used an array of imaging techniques, including micro-CT scans, X-ray spectroscopy, as well as physical examinations of the site to determine how exactly the preservation occurred.After meticulous cleaning of the dinosaur mummies, the team used 3D imaging, CT scans, and the analysis of footprints to figure out how all of the pieces of these creatures anatomy fit together. Finally, digital artists helped to recreate the appearance of this duck-billed dinosaur like no prehistoric creature ever before.Its the first time weve had a complete, fleshed-out view of a large dinosaur that we can really feel confident about, Sereno explained. Weve never been able to look at the appearance of a large prehistoric reptile like this.Edmontosaurus annectens: The First Known Dinosaur To Have HoovesDani NavarroA reconstruction of an Edmontosaurus annectens.Piecing together this duck-billed dinosaurs anatomy revealed some surprising features. Most shockingly, the larger of the two mummies revealed that Edmontosaurus annectens had hooves. This is the first time this feature has ever been seen in a dinosaur.Researchers compared this find with 3D images of Edmontosaurus footprints from the same period, confirming the creatures three hind toes were covered in a wedged hoof similar to that of a horse. Using both the mummy and the footprints, scientists were able to successfully reconstruct what the dinosaurs hind foot looked like.UChicago Fossil LabThe hoof of an Edmontosaurus, the first time this feature has ever been seen in a dinosaur.Furthermore, the reconstructed Edmontosaurus annectens profile includes a fleshy crest along the neck that goes down to the hips. It also has a single row of spikes running down its tail, each one connected to a single vertebra.There are so many amazing firsts preserved in these duck-billed mummies the earliest hooves documented in a land vertebrate, the first confirmed hooved reptile, and the first hooved four-legged animal with different forelimb and hindlimb posture, said Sereno.In addition to researchers unprecedented reconstruction of a fully fleshed-out dinosaur, this new study also provides a framework and toolkit for future analysis of dinosaurs soft tissue. Moving forward, the researchers are looking to analyze more dinosaur mummies from Wyoming and elsewhere.This may be the single best paper Ive released, Sereno said. From field to lab to 3D reconstructions along with a suite of useful terms defined, its a tour de force, and it tells a coherent story about how these remarkable fossils come to be and what we can learn from them.After reading about these dinosaur fossils with preserved skin, discover the 125-million-year-old dinosaur perfectly preserved in volcanic ash. Then, see 31 of the most astonishing dinosaur facts.The post Paleontologists Just Revealed The Most Complete Dinosaur Remains Ever Found appeared first on All That's Interesting.