Massive 5,000-pound Utah Dinosaur Fossil Arrives at Raleigh Lab for Public Study

On Oct. 21, a 5,000-pound sandstone slab bearing a dinosaur that roamed North America about 75 million years ago was moved to the SECU DinoLab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. The fossil, sourced from Utah’s Late Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation, appears unusually intact, preserving much of the animal’s skeleton, which resembled an ostrich with a beak and was estimated at eight to ten feet long.

Researchers, including museum paleontology head Lindsay Zanno, will carefully chip away the surrounding rock and plaster casing to expose the bones, a process visible to museum visitors. Because the skeleton is far more complete than previous finds from the same formation, it may allow scientists to determine whether it belongs to a previously unknown species and could serve as a holotype. The museum’s public-access lab underscores its commitment to engaging the community in scientific work. The ultimate classification will depend on further analysis and peer-reviewed publication.