The Discovery
A significant paleontological find has arrived at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh. The excavation was conducted in southern Utah at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument through a collaboration between paleontologists from the North Carolina museum and the Natural History Museum of Utah. To move the heavy fossil safely from the field, researchers encased the specimen in a plaster jacket weighing 5,000 pounds.
What Scientists Found
The fossil is approximately 75 million years old and stands as the first substantially complete skeleton of its type recorded in the region. Features of the dinosaur include:
- A total length between 8 and 10 feet long in life.
- A beaked, toothless head structure.
- Classification within the ornithomimids, a lineage of fast-running theropods.
The exact species name is not specified in the source; please check the official notice.
Why It Matters
Museum scientists anticipate that this specimen could become a holotype, serving as the official benchmark specimen for a dinosaur species completely new to science. Head of Paleontology Lindsay Zanno, who is a 2026 recipient of the North Carolina Award, is directing the research alongside her team.
The analysis and preparation of the specimen will take place inside the museum's SECU DinoLab, fully accessible to the public eye. Museum Director Denise Young noted that this setup gives visitors the opportunity to experience active scientific discovery as it happens. Located at 11 and 121 W. Jones Street in Raleigh, the museum also manages a satellite facility in Whiteville and the Prairie Ridge Ecostation, a 45-acre outdoor research and education center in west Raleigh.
Source: dinosaur fossil discovery - BingNews · Published October 24, 2026 · Photo by Catherine Merlin on Unsplash