Stan (dinosaur)
Encyclopedia
Stan is the nickname given to a fossil
of the dinosaur
species
Tyrannosaurus rex. It was found in Hell Creek Formation
, South Dakota
, close to Buffalo
in 1987 by Stan Sacrison, who also discovered the Tyrannosaurus
specimen nicknamed "Duffy". The original fossil
s are now housed at Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Inc.
center. It is a well known specimen, and one of the most complete, with 199 bones recovered. About 30 casts of the original fossil
has been sold worldwide, each for a price of about $100 000. Stan measures 40.1 feet long, and 12 feet over the hips.
, and it has also been at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis together with the Tyrannosaurus specimen "Bucky" and the Triceratops
"Kesley", as well as New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
and Houston Museum of Natural Science
and at Disney World. Other casts are located at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, and Google
Headquarters in Mountain View
, CA. Another cast can be found in the refurbished Natural Science galleries of the National Museums Scotland
tested the power of Tyrannosaurus
jaws in their program The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs
(2005), the hydraulic skull model was based on Stan. Gregory Erickson estimated the bite power, based on the power of a modern alligator
, and came to the conclusion that Tyrannosaurus
would have had a bite force of about 3 tonnes, or 40,000 Newtons. Stan has also been used for studies involving restoration of dinosaurs body mass and study on how they could have moved.
, the skeleton of Stan shows many broken and healed bones. These include broken rib
s and damages in the skull
. One of the most prominent injuries are in the neck and the skull. A piece of bone is missing at the rear, and the skull also bears a hole 1 inch
wide, probably made by another Tyrannosaurus
. Also, two of the cervical vertebrae
are fused, and another has additional bone growth. This could have been caused by another Tyrannosaurus bite. The bite marks are healed, indicating that Stan survived the wounds. Stan could also have been infected by Trichomonas
-like parasites.
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Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
of the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
Tyrannosaurus rex. It was found in Hell Creek Formation
Hell Creek Formation
The Hell Creek Formation is an intensely-studied division of Upper Cretaceous to lower Paleocene rocks in North America, named for exposures studied along Hell Creek, near Jordan, Montana...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, close to Buffalo
Buffalo, South Dakota
Buffalo is a town in Harding County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 330 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Harding County.-History:Buffalo was established in 1909...
in 1987 by Stan Sacrison, who also discovered the Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
specimen nicknamed "Duffy". The original fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s are now housed at Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Inc.
Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Inc.
The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Inc. is a private corporation specializing in the excavation and preparation of fossils, as well as the sale of both original fossil material and museum-quality replicas...
center. It is a well known specimen, and one of the most complete, with 199 bones recovered. About 30 casts of the original fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
has been sold worldwide, each for a price of about $100 000. Stan measures 40.1 feet long, and 12 feet over the hips.
Displays
Casts of Stan’s skeleton can be found in many displays around the world. A cast can be found at Manchester MuseumManchester Museum
The Manchester Museum is owned by the University of Manchester. Sited on Oxford Road at the heart of the university's group of neo-Gothic buildings, it provides access to about six million items from every continent and serves both as a resource for academic research and teaching and as a regional...
, and it has also been at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis together with the Tyrannosaurus specimen "Bucky" and the Triceratops
Triceratops
Triceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
"Kesley", as well as New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is a natural history and science museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico near Old Town Albuquerque. The Museum was founded in 1986....
and Houston Museum of Natural Science
Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a science museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, USA. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Society, an organization whose goals were to provide a free institution for the people of Houston...
and at Disney World. Other casts are located at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, and Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
Headquarters in Mountain View
Mountain View
-Canada:*Mountain View County, Alberta, a municipal district*Mountain View, Alberta, a hamlet in Cardston County*Mountain View, Ontario, a community in Prince Edward County*Mountain View No...
, CA. Another cast can be found in the refurbished Natural Science galleries of the National Museums Scotland
National Museums of Scotland
National Museums Scotland is the organization that runs several national museums of Scotland. It is one of the country's National Collections, and holds internationally important collections of natural sciences, decorative arts, world cultures, science and technology, and Scottish history and...
Research
When BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
tested the power of Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
jaws in their program The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs
The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs
The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs is a two-part BBC documentary, presented by Bill Oddie, in which a group of scientists test out the strength of dinosaur weaponry using biomechanics. The first episode determines the winner of a battle between Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops, and second compares the...
(2005), the hydraulic skull model was based on Stan. Gregory Erickson estimated the bite power, based on the power of a modern alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
, and came to the conclusion that Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
would have had a bite force of about 3 tonnes, or 40,000 Newtons. Stan has also been used for studies involving restoration of dinosaurs body mass and study on how they could have moved.
Bone damage
Like many other fossils of Tyrannosaurus rexSpecimens of Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the most iconic dinosaurs, is known from numerous specimens, some of which have acquired a degree of notability in their own right because of their scientific importance and coverage by the media...
, the skeleton of Stan shows many broken and healed bones. These include broken rib
Rib
In vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the rib cage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the chest cavity. They serve to protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax...
s and damages in the skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
. One of the most prominent injuries are in the neck and the skull. A piece of bone is missing at the rear, and the skull also bears a hole 1 inch
Inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
wide, probably made by another Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
. Also, two of the cervical vertebrae
Cervical vertebrae
In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae are those vertebrae immediately inferior to the skull.Thoracic vertebrae in all mammalian species are defined as those vertebrae that also carry a pair of ribs, and lie caudal to the cervical vertebrae. Further caudally follow the lumbar vertebrae, which also...
are fused, and another has additional bone growth. This could have been caused by another Tyrannosaurus bite. The bite marks are healed, indicating that Stan survived the wounds. Stan could also have been infected by Trichomonas
Trichomonas
Trichomonas is a genus of anaerobic protists that are parasites of vertebrates. They are included with the parabasalids.Species of Trichomonas include:*Trichomonas vaginalis, an organism generally living inside the vagina of humans...
-like parasites.
External links
Pictures- Complete mounted skeleton of Stan, profile.
- Stan's skeleton, from the front.
- Stan's skeleton, from the front.
- The right half of Stan's mandible.
- Skeleton of Stan, seen from behind.
- The occiput of Stan, with a hole (damage) at the left.
- The size of Stan compared to a human.
- Skeleton of Stan in a library.
- Stan seen from a low angle.
- Stan seen from a low angle.
- Stan is prepared for exhibit at New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
Text
- Stan at BHIGR.inc's homepage.
- Information about Stan at Children's Museum of Indianapolis's homepage.
- BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
news online: Meet Stan the dinosaur, the skeleton of Stan arrives at Manchester MuseumManchester MuseumThe Manchester Museum is owned by the University of Manchester. Sited on Oxford Road at the heart of the university's group of neo-Gothic buildings, it provides access to about six million items from every continent and serves both as a resource for academic research and teaching and as a regional...
, 2 November 2004. - Stan at Black Hills Travels Blog.
- Everythingdinosaur: Terrible Tyrannosaurus grew up fighting.
- www.unearthingtrex.com
- Using the skull of Stan to reconstruct the look of Tyrannosaurus.
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