Edmontosaurus annectens, a prominent herbivorous dinosaur known for its duck-billed appearance, was first unearthed in 1908 by C.H. Sternberg in east-central Wyoming. The initial skeleton, displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, was dubbed the “AMNH mummy” due to its uniquely preserved scaly skin, which offered an early glimpse of the dinosaur's physique.
Fast forward over a century, and a group of paleontologists, headed by Paul C. Sereno from the University of Chicago, returned to the original excavation site. There, they discovered two additional Edmontosaurus mummies, their fleshy exterior details finely imprinted in clay, offering the most precise image to date of the dinosaur. This included intricate details like scale sizes and tail spike arrangements, revealing unforeseen characteristics of the creature.
Evolving Images
The depiction of Edmontosaurus has evolved significantly, even prior to Sereno's recent findings. In 1909, renowned paleoartist Charles R. Knight crafted an initial illustration based on Sternberg's specimen. While somewhat accurate, Knight’s rendition inaccurately extended a crest along the dinosaur's entire body, influenced by the lack of a complete tail.
Decades later, in 1984, Jack Horner, a leading American paleontologist, contributed to a revision by identifying tail spikes rather than a crest in a new specimen. However, the imprecise preparation led to another misinterpretation, depicting the spikes as rectangular and unconnected, stretching mistakenly from tail to head.
These variants over the years have led to numerous competing visions of the Edmontosaurus. However, with Sereno's recent discoveries, the paleontological community believes they have achieved an accurate understanding of the dinosaur's appearance. "I think now we finally nailed down the way it truly looked," Sereno asserts.