A tyrannosaurus rex skeleton discovered by a pair of amateur fossil hunters is yielding new insights on the fearsome carnivore because it includes the only complete arm yet found.
Paleontologists unearthing the fossilized skeleton in the badlands of eastern Montana say it appears to be the most complete yet found of the biggest species of predatory dinosaur."We're pretty excited," said Patrick Leiggi, one of those at the site. " `T rex' may be a household name among dinosaurs, but no one's ever found a complete one, and that's what we've done."
The skeleton was spotted a year ago by Tom and Kathy Wankel of Angela, Mont., on a fossil-hunting trip. They picked up some bones they found protruding from the ground and turned them over to experts at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman.
"We decided that what we had didn't mean much to us and might be important to someone else," Kathy Wankel said Tuesday. "At the museum they were very excited. They knew immediately that it was part of the shoulder blade and arm of a large carnivore."
The pieces proved to be the most complete arm of a T-rex ever discovered, according to Jack Horner, head of the museum's paleontology effort. It will help researchers learn how the short but strong arms of the dinosaur were used.
The crew from the museum began digging the fossils last month. They're keeping the location of the find secret to deter looting.
T-rex skeletons are rare - only nine nearly complete skeletons have ever been discovered and all but two came from Montana. Only three complete skulls have been found.
Although an adult T-rex could be up to 35 feet long, 18 feet high and weigh as much as an elephant at nearly 6.5 tons, its arms were no longer than an adult man's. Until now, all the T-rex skeletons found in Montana have been shipped to museums out of state, but this one will stay at the Museum of the Rockies.