Pipeline Excavations Accidentally Uncover Dinosaur

Professional paleontologists aren’t the only people to find dinosaurs. In addition to discoveries made by amateurs, sometimes the especially lucky stumble across dinosaurs entirely by accident. That’s what happened this week when a Tourmaline Oil Corp. backhoe operator working in Alberta, Canada accidentally snapped off part of a dinosaur’s tail.

The CBC story has a nice shot of the dinosaur’s impressive back half. Based on the anatomy of the vertebrae and the ossified tendons, the mostly-complete tail looks to be part of a hadrosaur. But how big was this dinosaur, and what species does this fossil posterior belong to?

Early reports erroneously stated that the dinosaur was 30 meters long, and

DON'T MISS THE REST OF THIS STORY!
Create a free account to continue and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles, plus newsletters.

Create your free account to continue reading

No credit card required. Unlimited access to free content.
Or get a Premium Subscription to access the best of Nat Geo - just $19
SUBSCRIBE

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet