How 'mummy' dinosaurs are changing our view of these giants
Two unusually well-preserved "mummy" fossils of the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus were found in Wyoming, giving scientists a rare look at what these giants really looked like.
The findings, published this week in Science, include both a young and an adult dino with nearly complete skin impressions.
How do you mummify a dinosaur?
Instead of actual skin, these dinosaurs were preserved by a super-thin clay film—less than a millimeter thick.
After they died, floodwaters quickly buried them in wet sediment, and the clay stuck to their bodies like a natural mask soon after burial.
This process, called clay templating, captured amazing details like scales, spikes, and even hooves.
What we learned about Edmontosaurus
Thanks to these fossils, researchers could finally see features that regular fossils miss—like a fleshy crest on the neck and back, rows of tail spikes, pebble-textured scales, and wedge-shaped hooves (the oldest ever found on land reptiles).
These details help scientists update how Edmontosaurus moved and looked in real life.
Why this matters
For dino fans (and anyone curious about ancient life), this discovery means we're getting closer to seeing dinosaurs as they actually were—not just bones but full-on creatures with skin textures and all.
It's also helping scientists figure out new ways fossils can form—and what else we might be missing from the past.