Re: T. rex skeletons

[Darryl <dinoguy@interlog.com>]

At 06:47 PM 17/05/97 -0500, you wrote:
>This is an abbreviated list provided by the Black Hills Inst. of Geological
Research, Inc.
>
I think there are some areas of this list that I would dispute.  If the BHI
gave this to you, you might want to tell them to update this list.

>No.    SPECIMEN        YEAR    LOCATION        AMT.    EXHIBITOR
>
>1.     BM-R7994        1900    Wyoming         13%     British Museum, London

The dentaries, dorsals, cervicals, and incomplete pelvis and femur probably
add up to more than 13% (what a strange number to pick anyway).

>2.     CM-9380         1902    Montana         10%     Carnegie Museum, 
>Pittsburgh, PA

This specimen is the one on display at the CMNH.  The listing I have for it
in "The complete T. rex" says 50%, but I think that is high.  It is partial
skull, most of the pelvis and hind limbs, right humerus, gastralia, and some
vertebrae.

>3.     AMNH-5027       1906    Montana         45%     Amer. Museum of Nat. 
>Hist., New York, NY

This is the most famous of the T. rex specimens.  I know that most estimates
of completeness are at least 60%.

>4.     LACM-23844      1966    Montana         25%     L.A. County Museum, Los 
>Angeles, CA

There is seventy five percent of the skull and at least 30% of the skeleton
(again, according to Dr. Horner).  For completeness, I have skull (already
mentioned), cervicals, dorsals, caudals, ribs, gastrailia, shoulder girdle,
incomplete ischia and femur, fibula, and incomplete metetarsus.  This I got
from Ralph Molnar's 1991 article.

>5.     LACM-23845      1966    Montana         12%     L.A. County Museum, Los 
>Angeles, CA
>6.     MOR-008         1967    Montana   40% of skull  Museum of the Rockies, 
>Bozeman, MT
>7.     SDSM-12047      1980    S. Dakota       25%     S.D. Sch. of Mines& 
>Tech., Rapid City, SD

Molnar's numbers are skull + 40% of the skeleton.

>8.     TMP.81.12.1     1946    Alberta         20%     Royal Tyrrell Museum, 
>Drumheller, ALB

Molnar lists this as much of the skeleton, minus the skull.  Dr. Horner
places it at 30% (hind-limbs, pelvis, and vertebrae from neck to tail).  It
is the skeleton mounted at the RTMP.

>9.     TMP.81.6.1      1981    Alberta         25%     Royal Tyrrell Museum, 
>Drumheller, ALB

The people I talked to when this toured through my hometown said that the
latest count was 40%.  Everything I read seems to agree.

>10.    MOR-009         1981    Montana         15%     Museum of the Rockies, 
>Bozeman, MT
>11.    MOR-555 (Wankel)1988    Montana         46%     Museum of the Rockies, 
>Bozeman, MT

Everything I have heard places this at 80%+.  I have never seen an estimate
so low.  It was fairly complete, missing half the tail, one arm, some skull,
ribs, and pedal elements.

>12.    BHI-2033 (SUE)  1990    S. Dakota       90%     Sotheby's Auction 
>House, New York, NY
>13.    BHI-3033 (Stan) 1992    S. Dakota       65%     Black Hills Museum of 
>Nat. Hist.,
Hill City, SD

The website that is promoting the BHI and stan is now listing this skeleton
at 80%+ as well.

>14.    DMNH-2827       1992    Colorado         2%     Denver Museum of Nat. 
>Hist., Denver, CO
>15.    "Z-rex"         1992    S. Dakota       50% (?) Unknown at this date

The infamous place that Dr. Holtz listed, and had his nuckles wrapped for
his indiscretion, lists this as 75% complete.

>16.    "Bowman"        1993    N. Dakota       10%     Bowman, ND
>17.    BHI-4100 (Duffy)1993    S. Dakota       30% (?) Black Hills Museum of 
>Nat.
Hist., Hill City, SD
>18.    "Scottie"       1994    Saskatchewan    50% (?) Royal Sask. Museum, 
>Regina, SASK.

I spoke recently with someone excavating this skeleton and he told me they
were now looking at an estimate of 75%.

>19.    "U. of Wisc."   1994    Montana         10%     Univ. of Wisc. Geology 
>Museum, Madison, WI
>20.    "County rex"    1994    S. Dakota       (?)     Harding County, SD
>21.    "Steven"        1995    S. Dakota       (?)     Harding County, SD
>
I wish there was a registry somewhere where this information could be
stored, for all finds.  It would also be nice to have a defined way of
estimating completeness.  I think it would solve most of these problems.

Darryl

----------------------------------------------------------
"the truth is, I don't really care how the dinosaurs died.
I'm interested in how they lived."  (Dr. John R. Horner,
from the Complete T.rex, 1993)
----------------------------------------------------------
The two most common elements in the universe are
hydrogen and stupidity.
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dinoguy@interlog.com
http://www.interlog.com/~dinoguy