NHMU Paleontologist Answers Questions

[Neosodon]

I went to the Utah Mueseum of Natural History today while they were having a behind the scenes event. Got some cool pictures of the fossil lab and Mueseum overall. Was going to do a review of it on the forum. But when I got home guess what.... I  realized I forgot to put the USB card in the camera.

But I did get to talk to a paleontolagist and got some questions answered.

Green Dinosaurs -
Their most likely was but green is not a color that we can tell in fossils yet like we can with black, white and brown.

Parasaurolophus -
A large crest does not have anything to do with gender or genus but rather the age of the individual.

Triceratops and Torosaurus debate -
Juvenile Torosaurus have been found. Although not made official yet. Age can be determined by growth rings but no one is willing to cut open a Triceratops skull just to see how old it is.

Feather vs skin impression preservation -
There is no real preservation bias for either one.

[ZoPteryx]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing! 

[Lanthanotus]

Thanks, Neosodon, a shame about those photos though, I hate when cameras do that without a proper warning, experienced it myself.

I heard about that "noone's gonna cut in half a valueable skull" before and can't really understand it.... first hand, what's it's worth if not a scietific one (yeah I know people pay awefull lots of money for those skull, but if they are in property of a museum anyway?),.. and second hand... can't they just drill a core hole, I mean the time's over when you had to fell a tree to get its age... can't same be done with bones? And if not, why?

[Ravonium]

These were very good questions to ask, and I'm glad the paleontologist could answer them all extremely well.

[UtahraptorFan]

Very cool, Neosodon.

I never was convinced with the Torosaurus = adult Triceratops hypothesis. I'm on here while watching a Youtube video of "Dinosaur George" Blasing's podcast and in one of his old Ask DG videos, somebody asked his opinion and he compared it with a soldier with a shield, saying it's like using one, but cutting two big holes in it when you turn 35. That, to me, is a perfect analogy.

As for green dinosaurs, I consider that plausible.