Mummified Dinosaur Skin. Dinosaur skin is the rarest and most coveted of dinosaur fossils because of its extreme rarity being preserved only under extraordinary conditions. The dinosaur had to have been completely covered by fine mud sediments probably in a large river delta within a day or so after dying to avoid bacterial breakdown of the skin and soft tissue which would occur immediately. This type of extreme condition may have occurred in a massive flood. The skin texture was impressed in detail in the soft clay forming a natural mold which was later filled by more muddy sand creating a natural cast and remained intact for over 65 million years even after the skin and other soft tissue was destroyed by bacteria. This large 6 X 3 inch section of dinosaur skin is from an Edmontosaurus duckbilled dinosaur and is between 65-70 million years old and was found in place on the Sacrum vertebrae. Part of the Sacrum bone is still in the matrix which measures 6 X 6 X 4 inches. The sacrum was part of the backbone that attaches the pelvis to the spine by fusion of two or more vertebrae. This vertebrae supports the pelvic girdle. This museum quality fossil was legally collected on leased land in the Hell Creek Formation near Glendive, Montana.
Estimated Value $900 - 1,000
Fossils
