Baby Pentaceratops being airlfted from Bisti via the National Guard's Blackhawk helicopters. (Photo : New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science/Facebook)
On Thursday morning, October 29, a major mission was carried out involving massive dinosaur remains as helicopters transferred these ancient dinosaur skeletons from New Mexico's northwest badlands.
According to paleontologist Phil Gensler from The Bureau of Land Management in New Mexico, scientists here always find dinosaurs here as this is a world famous spot for discovering dinosaurs.
This mission is the final stage of four years' work in excavating the skeletal remains of two dinosaurs known as Pentaceratops, dating back to at least 70 million years. The remains were uncovered from the Bisti Wilderness where they used to belong to an adult one and a baby.
The remains were found years back during a land survey by researchers from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.The fossilized remains of the baby Pentaceratops is almost complete, however the skull was the only remaining fossil that was uncovered from the adult dinosaur.
In addition, the baby Pentaceratops is the only one of its kind discovered in the whole world, which makes this discovery a crucial one. According to chief curator Spencer Lucas of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, this excavation involved a lot of planning and logistical arrangements.
Since the Bisti is under the protection of federal law, no vehicles are allowed to enter, to maintain its pristine, natural state. Lucas adds that this excavation was carried out by hand and not machines, so plaster, water and tools were hauled in, all by hand.
However, this Thursday morning, this special exception was made to transfer and transport the precious dinosaur remains via airlift as they are all encased in plaster, where the can now begin their journey to the Albuquerque museum.
The museum staff was able to execute this massive effort with the help of the New Mexico National Guard using Blackhawk helicopters.
The bones that are encased in plaster weigh more than 1,000 pounds where the Blackhawks picked them up and dropped them off at a nearby site that has accessible roads. After that, the remains were loaded into a truck and transported to the museum.
The bones were composed of three loads that include the baby's skull and body and the adult's skull however, the baby's body is still apparently stuck in the mud where it will be lifted on the next airlift mission.
On Thursday, November 5, the baby Pentaceratops skull block will be revealed at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science from 5 to 7 P.M. local time which will be free to the public.
