Museum Unveils First Discovered Baby Pentaceratops Skull

New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science researchers took the wraps off the first-ever discovered baby Pentaceratops skull. The unveiling took place yesterday at a free public showing reportedly attended by hundreds. The skull had been sealed within a plaster jacket to protect it during its airlifting out of New Mexico. During the unveiling, the researchers cut that plaster open, revealing the skull.

As you can see in the image above, the skull — and some other fossils — were encased in a large rock and portions of plaster. During the unveiling, the researchers exposed parts of the skull, including some teeth, as well as a rib, arm bone, and some other things. The full removal, however, will take months.

The fossils have been encased in that rock for about 70 million years. During the removal process, the public will again be able to watch through windows located in the New Mexico museum's preparation room. The discovery is an important one; the unearthing of adult Pentaceratops skulls is rare in itself, not exceeding 10 skulls, while no one had up until now found a baby skull.

Pentaceratops had five horns, and could reach lengths up to 27ft long, with weights topping the scales at 5 tons. In the case of this baby Pentaceratops, researchers don't know how it died, but believe its remains were washed down a stream, causing the skeleton to partially fall apart.

SOURCE: New York Times