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ULTRA RARE ANATOTITAN HADROSAURID HAND COMPLETE 'AS FOUND' WITH ALL ORIGINAL BONES FROM SINGLE DINOSAUR Hell Creek Formation, Montana LATE CRETACEOUS PERIOD (MAASTRICHTIAN PERIOD): 68 - 65 million years ago
This is a museum-class RARE fossil hand of an Anatotitan dinosaur (formerly known as ANATOSAURUS) and scientifically known as Anatotitan copei. ANATOTITAN was one of the final hadrosaurids to live in the Late Cretaceous - the largest species of their spectacular dynasty. The reined in the final days of the Cretaceous, emerging as late as 68 million years ago. This was a massive hadrosaurid dinosaur - the largest known. The name ANATOTITAN means "large duck". Fossil of this dinosaur are EXTREMELY RARE and isolated post-cranial remains are nearly impossible to differentiate from other hadrosaurs other than their massive size. This is not the case with how this specimen was discovered as we can assure and guarantee that the identification of this fossil to this rare species is 100% accurate. This articulated hand was not all that was found when it was discovered. An event that will make paleontologists cringe took place. A complete skeleton of this dinosaur was discovered. This is extraordinarily rare because there are only supposedly TWO complete skeletons in the world and this would have been the third! There are only six partial or complete skeletons of this dinosaur known. The skeleton was found by private collectors legally on a privately-owned ranch. The collectors were desperate for money and parted the skeleton out, selling the skull to one buyer, and scattering the remains over several other buyers as it was extracted. When we learned of the specimen, much of it had already been parted out and was not available. We secured the acquisition of this hand and a large portion of an articulated vertebral column that we still are working on in its preparation. Again, it must be emphasized that the hand you see above is ALL FROM THE SAME dinosaur and was not composited from multiple animals as it usually the case.
A dinosaur limb is a very rare fossil and rarely seen on the public market. Of the few that do make it, all the articulated feet and hand fossils of ANY dinosaur are always composites, that is, made up of parts of several different creatures of the same species. What makes this incredibly well-preserved specimen EXTRA rare is the fact that it came FROM THE SAME CREATURE and NOT A COMPOSITE. Everything you see above is what was found. There is a tiny fourth digit that was not found and this is the only small part that was missing. This is the RIGHT HAND of Anatotitan copei from the famous Hell Creek Formation of the Unites States. There is only a few very small areas that have been restored amounting to only 1% of the specimen. They have not been colored so they can be easily seen. Beneath the first digit and not pictured, there is a very long S-shaped gash in the bone that is from either an injury the dinosaur sustained or an attack by another creature. It is very deep and dramatic, adding to the many rare features of this fossil hand. This is a very rare opportunity for a museum or very advanced private collector to add truly a remarkable fossil dinosaur hand to their collection. The specimen is as impressive as it is rare and other than the vertebral column we will offer at a later date remains of this genus are almost never offered for sale.
For its astonishing array of dangerous and large prehistoric predator fossils, no place has captured more attention or has been featured on television more than Hell Creek! This area is known to many as "the Valley of the T. rex!". The "duck-billed" Hadrosaurs and the "horned" dinosaurs like Triceratops were common prey for many large meat-eating dinosaurs of the famed region. Hadrosaurs were herbivores (plant-eaters) and only had teeth in the cheek area, not the front of the mouth. The many rows of teeth were perfect for effectively grinding up rough vegetation for easy digestion. This unique group of dinosaurs grew in sizes over 40 feet and probably weighed over 5 tons! In-depth studies of a variety of duckbill remains indicate that these were strictly land-based dinosaurs that walked predominantly on all fours but had the ability to stand on their hind legs. Hadrosaur remains have been found in China, North America, South America (Argentina) and Europe. ULTRA - RARE MUSEUM SPECIMEN ALL FROM SAME CREATURE AS FOUND - ! 17" long x 7" wide SOLD DB001 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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ANATOTITAN PHOTOS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT, PALEO DIRECT, INC. |
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