KUNHM Vertebrate Paleontology Field Work

Current Field Work

The 1997-1998 Field Seasons

In the summer of '97 and '98 the KU Vertebrate Paleontology field crew recovered what appears to be a family of long-neck dinosaurs (sauropods). So far, two adult Camarasaurus and a juvenile have been found next to each other. This is the first time in the world that a juvenile sauropod has been found in association with adults. The adult skeletons are nearly complete, but only the shoulder blade, part of the backbone and a few teeth from the juvenile were preserved. We also found a forelimb of a third adult camarasaur. The close association of these camarasaurs suggests that they represent a family that had died in some catastrophe 140 million years ago. There are also a few isolated bones from adult and juvenile sauropods that are not Camarasaurus.

The two adult camarasaur skeletons are named Lyle and Annabelle, and the juvenile is Nic-Mic. Lyle is over 75% complete and is the largest and one of the most complete specimens of Camarasaurus ever found. Lyle was about 65 feet long and 14 feet high at the hips, weighing 30-40 tons. Annabelle was a little smaller, and the girth of the young Nic-Mic was cow-sized. Camarasaurus is the most common sauropod found in the Late Jurassic of North America, but there is still much we do not know about it and sauropod life in general. As you can imagine, the chance for an entire individual as large eight elephants to be buried and preserved at one spot in a river channel or floodplain is low. Scavengers, tramplers, plant roots, and the wind, sun, and water scatter and destroy carcasses.

Some of Nic-Mic's and Lyle's bones have bite marks and dermestid beetle borings--evidence of scavenging. A flood deposited their bodies along a stream's sand bank and must have created quite a feast for crocodiles, theropods, insects, and other fast food aficionados.

KU's site is in northeastern Wyoming and is Late Jurassic in age. Besides sauropods, we recovered two small dinosaurs and a number of theropod teeth. Non-dinosaur animals include several freshwater turtle skeletons, fish bones, alligator teeth, and snail shells. Fossil plants include wood pieces and "pre-coal" leaf layers. This site is special not only because of the diversity of fossils but for its ecology. It represents a rare, swamp environment, while most dinosaur sites in the Morrison Formation of the Rocky Mountains are large, ancient river channels. Our site promises to be of world class caliber, revealing new information about life when Jurassic Park was reality.

Working the hours away at the dino site in northeastern Wyoming.

Surrounding the smiling Errol Hooper, counterclockwise from back left:

Craig Sundell, Willard Morrow, Barb Parrish, Rod Pellegrini, Tim Parker, and Webster Thomas.

Right hindlimb of Annabelle, a Camarasaurus.

The yardstick is between the lower leg bones (fibula and tibia).

Do you live in our area (Kansas City-Topeka)
and wish to volunteer in our dinosaur lab?
Click here for more information

The 1998 Field Season

The 1998 Field Crew Left to right, clockwise, from the back: Craig Sundell, Matt Christopher, John Chorn, Willard Morrow, Jeong Dock Lim, Tim Parker, Rod Pellegrini, Webster Thomas, Gil Parker, and Errol Hooper	The 1998 Field Crew in a wider shot
The 1998 Field Crew in town	The 1998 Field Crew Left to right, clockwise: Craig Sundell, John Chorn, Rod Pellegrini, and the remains of Annabelle the Camarasaurus
Annabelle in the ground Matt Nelson, volunteer, digging	Tim Parker and Errol Hooper Ready to get to work
Tim Parker and Errol Hooper	Craig Sundell and Rod Pellegrini
Documentary crew setting up	Crew in "Baby", the good ole Vert Paleo Chevy Suburban, ready to drive off to the site.
Extracting a plaster jacket Part 1	Extracting a plaster jacket Part 2
Extracting a plaster jacket Part 3	Extracting a plaster jacket Part 4
Extracting a plaster jacket Part 5	Extracting a plaster jacket Part 6
Extracting another plaster jacket	Rod Pellegrini
Rod at the 1998 KU Wyoming Digsite

The 2002 Field Season

Our site at the foot of the Black Hills	Our site at the foot of the Black Hills
Our site at the foot of the Black Hills	Our site at the foot of the Black Hills
Our site at the foot of the Black Hills	Our site at the foot of the Black Hills
Our site at the foot of the Black Hills	Our site at the foot of the Black Hills
Our site at the foot of the Black Hills	Kenny Bader by our bobcat
Road Sign to the site	The road to our site at the foot of the Black Hills
The road to our site at the foot of the Black Hills