To make Máximo, all the existing Patagotitan fossils were 3D scanned and printed, and the missing bones were sculpted. But scientists can estimate how big Patagotitan was and what its missing bones looked like based what they know about other long-necked titanosaurs. In other words, no one's found a single complete fossil skeleton of Patagotitan mayorum (yet). Paleontologists identified this species of titanosaur from around 130 fossil bones that belonged to more than six individuals of Patagotitan. You’ll find Máximo, a mounted Patagotitan mayorum skeleton made from casts and sculpted bones, in our main Stanley Field Hall. rex, even if they can’t make it to Chicago to see SUE the fossil.Īlong with SUE, which is on display here in the Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet, our other famous dinosaur personality is Máximo the Titanosaur.
This is a great way for people around the world to get a better understanding of the size and scale of the most complete T. Plus, mounted casts of SUE’s skeleton have visited museums across the US and in dozens of countries. Depending on the focus of the research, there are times when it’s easier to study a hollow plastic cast than the real bones, especially when they’re as big and as heavy as SUE’s. We have a complete research cast of SUE in our collections for visiting scientists to examine. You can still learn quite a bit about an animal-especially a rare specimen like SUE-from a cast. Scavengers can disturb decomposing bodies, and erosion after fossilization may destroy some or most of the bones before they are discovered. They very rarely unearth an entirely intact dinosaur skeleton. In some cases, scientists haven’t yet found a particular bone from a certain species. It’s based on an examination of existing bones, or on references or photos of bones from other specimens that are the same or related species. This isn’t as accurate since it doesn’t come directly from the fossil bone. If there’s a missing bone in a skeleton, sometimes that shape will be carved like a sculpture. Other methods include 3D prints made from CT scanning, surface scanning, and photogrammetry, which are also very reliable. A fossil can also be a preserved imprint, like a footprint or a leaf.Ĭasts are made using precise molds of fossil bones and are one of the most accurate and common forms of 3D duplication you’ll see on display at the Field and other museums. Minerals from the surrounding groundwater and sediment very gradually replace some of the bones’ original minerals (this is why fossils are a variety of different colors: they take on the color of the minerals in the earth around them). Over time, the sediment hardens into rock encasing the bones, often distorting them. First, sediment like mud or sand covers an animal’s body, and the soft tissues rot away leaving behind the hard tissue-teeth and bones. But fossils are rare since the conditions have to be right for them to form. Understanding fossils and castsįossils form over tens of thousands-up to hundreds of millions-of years. While we try to show you the real thing whenever possible, there are some important considerations behind why we put both dinosaur fossils and casts on display. And it’s a valid one: alongside fossil skeletons, we sometimes display casts, which are made from extremely accurate molds that are shaped directly from the fossils. This is a question we often hear from visitors as they roam the Field Museum, especially about dinosaur bones.
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