[Animals] She is Dakota, the 67-million-year-old 'dinosaur mummy' that amazes paleontologists in the US

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The skin of 'Dakota', the hadrosaur found in the US, retains a particular shine despite the fact that it died millions of years ago, since its body was 'mummified' naturally.
'Dakota' is a hadrosaur that is at least 67 million years old. When a team of paleontologists found it in North Dakota, on the border between the United States and Canada, they were amazed because its remains were practically intact. And what's more: his skin still glowed, as if it had undergone a mummification process.

Like the other specimens found of its species, 'Dakota' was a duck-billed dinosaur. It belonged to the ornithopod family, a common group of herbivores in the Upper Cretaceous, which is historically situated between 145 million years ago and ending 66 million years ago in Prehistory.

Hadrosaurs are among the dominant herbivores of this historical period. Despite this, the remains that have been preserved of this species do not have the quality of Dakota and other mummy dinosaurs, as they are called by a group of scientists from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This is the reason.

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A prehistoric 'mummification' process
Other hadrosaur specimens, such as 'Dakota', have been found in Asia and North America. However, it is known that "several lineages spread throughout Europe, Africa, South America and Antarctica," reports The New York Times. Few retain their original skin—and almost none of the remnants shine. The one from 'Dakota' yes.

The researchers are particularly puzzled by the state of preservation of one of the hadrosaur's legs. It was found along with another of its limbs, as well as some parts of its tail. Although the rest of his body has not yet been found, these parts are enough to show why it has been preserved in such exceptional conditions:

“REMOVING OR PROTECTING BIOSTRATINOMIC AGENTS OF DECOMPOSITION, SUCH AS PREDATORS AND SCABBERS, IS WIDELY CONSIDERED AS A REQUIREMENT FOR HIGH-QUALITY PRESERVATION OF SOFT TISSUES IN THE FOSSIL RECORD,” THE AUTHORS WRITE IN PLOS ONE.

Although it is not the first time that original skin remains of other dinosaurs have been recorded, the cases are few. Especially, because that kind of organic remains tend to rot very quickly. Therefore, the limbs of 'Dakota' have helped researchers understand how it was so well preserved.

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How did Dakota the hadrosaur keep her skin for so long?

The first theory that was made regarding Dakota's preservation was that, immediately after she died, her body was buried. Thus, the degradation of her remains could have been stopped, and the possible scavengers did not take advantage of the corpse.

However, not all prehistoric animals that were buried undergo a natural 'mummification' process, the scientists explain. And what's more: much less when they have "injuries consistent with carnivorous activity in the soft tissue", as is the case with 'Dakota', as described by the authors.

Therefore, the researchers explain "extreme circumstances are required for its conservation." The two strongest theories in this regard are the following:

Corpses were quickly buried after death
The remains remained intact in a barren landscape long enough for the corpse to be preserved.
Either of these two scenarios is viable for 'Dakota', and for the other dinosaurs that have been 'mummified' over time. Still, the study's lead paleontologist, Stephanie Drumheller, describes the discovery as "strange and unexpected." “But it is really in line with the forensic anthropological literature,” concludes the specialist.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/ella-es-dakota-la-hadrosaurio/