Rare stegosaurus skeleton digitized by London museum

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck

A recently acquired, nearly complete Stegosaurus skeleton has been digitized by researchers at the Natural History Museum in London so that the rare fossils can be thoroughly studied without damaging the bones.

The Stegosaurus, obtained by the museum last December, is nearly complete and is only missing the left forelimb, part of the tail, and a few other small bones, according to CNET. It is said to be the most complete skeleton of a Stegosaurus ever discovered, and is in phenomenal shape.

According to Natural History Museum dinosaur researcher Professor Paul Barrett, only one-fifth of currently known dinosaur species come from essentially complete skeletons, so coming across one as complete as this Stegosaurus was “an amazing find” and “a really nice acquisition.”

He explained that he came across a life-sized cast of a Stegosaurus skeleton while attending the 2012 Tucson Gem and Mineral Fair on behalf of the museum. He was amazed by the quality of the specimen, which was found in Wyoming, and both as a display piece and a research subject. With the help of generous donors, the museum was able to purchase the remains.

Understanding the stegosaurus with 3D technology

“Although Stegosaurus has been known about for more than 130 years, not much is known about its biology,” Barrett explained. “Because the new skeleton is almost complete, and three-dimensional, we can do a lot of things that have not been possible until now, such as looking at how the leg muscles work or how the skull functions during biting.

“The last detailed study of Stegosaurus was done in 1914 so one of the first things we’re doing is re-describing this dinosaur on the basis of the new skeleton, so that all other stegosaur species around the world can be compared more closely with Stegosaurus,” he added. “Thanks to this fossil, we can begin to uncover the secrets behind the evolution and behavior of this iconic but poorly understood dinosaur species.”

Conducting experiments could damage the fragile bones, however, which is why scientists at the museum have digitized the skeleton to create a 3D model for research purposes. The model was created using a technique known as photogrammetry, which involves the use of dozens of images of each bone from several different angles, museum officials said.

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As Dr. Charlotte Brassey explained, “I apply a matching algorithm to find areas where the photographs overlap and use this to generate a 3D model of each bone. I can then build a virtual model of the entire skeleton. The big advantage of photogrammetry is that it doesn’t require much equipment, just a digital camera and a tripod, and the software is freely available.”

By using the technique, Dr. Brassey told CNET that she and her colleagues “can generate 3D models of fossils without expensive scanning equipment.” Those 3D models are then used to perform calculations and share data about the skeleton, allowing information to be transmitted to other museums so that those facilities can use it to conduct their own observations.

A gateway to a real Jurassic Park? Nah, but still cool.

The London researchers used the model to calculate the mass and weight of the Stegosaurus, and that information will soon be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Now that they know how much it weighs, they can use that information to calculate how fast it moved, how much it had to eat, and how it would interact with other species, according to CNET.

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“What she found was that the weight she calculated was a very different number from estimates of dinosaur weight based solely on the leg bones,” the website added. “This matters a great deal: the weight of many specimens is calculated solely on the leg bones, since the leg bones are often all that researchers have available. This research highlights the importance of using a complete skeleton, and may be able to offer insight into how to calculate dinosaur weight in the future.”

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