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LEHI — After nearly an hour and 45 minutes of meticulous maneuvering Tuesday, a crew successfully installed a 9-ton sandstone block of dinosaur remains in the paleontology lab at the Museum of Ancient Life.
Finding a group of dinosaurs preserved together in such an immaculate state is rare, especially a group of the same species varying in ages, according to Rick Hunter, the on-site paleontologist at the Museum of Ancient Life, and James Kirkland, a state paleontologist with Utah Geological Survey and the leader of the Utahraptor excavation.
"There are surprises in there you don't even have a clue about," Kirkland said. "Right now, we only know that there are Utahraptors and an iguanodont inside. I wouldn't be surprised to find a dozen skulls in there."
Utahraptors are described as "agile meat-eaters that personifies the ferocious oversized velociraptor portrayed in the movie 'Jurassic Park,'" according to the Utah Geological Survey.
The dinosaurs lived in the early cretaceous period, thought to be covered in feathers, and could grow to be 9 feet tall and 19 feet long.
"I'm really excited about such a unique project. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Hunter said as he intensely supervised the placement of the sandstone.
The project is unique because the group of raptors may provide evidence to the theory that raptors lived and hunted in packs — or family units.
So far, Kirkland has found a 16-foot-long adult Utahraptor, four juveniles varying in length, and a 3-foot-long hatchling of the same species in the sandstone surrounding the block removed from a mountain near Moab.
There are surprises in there you don't even have a clue about. Right now, we only know that there are Utahraptors and an iguanodont inside. I wouldn't be surprised to find a dozen skulls in there.
–James Kirkland, excavation leader
Prior to the sandstone block's discovery, there was no evidence supporting the theory that raptors hunted in packs — despite the popular depiction in the film "Jurassic Park."
Kirkland said he believes the iguanodont was the first creature to fall victim to the quicksand and that the group of Utahraptors descended on what they believed to be a free meal until they, too, became stuck, frantically trying to escape, sending "feathers flying everywhere," he said.
It took a crane and several other pieces of equipment to safely insert the block filled with dinosaur remains through the lab door with only inches to spare.
"We will take it to the lab, cut it open, start removing the rock and try to make sense of the things in there. It looks like a five-year project," Hunter said.
Kirkland said he hopes to keep the process of excavating the fossils out of the rock both transparent and educational, saying "dinosaurs are a gateway science."
Visitors will be able to watch paleontologists excavate through the windows at the Museum of Ancient life, and Kirkland envisions the implementation of cameras for a live Web broadcast of the fossils, an accurate animation depicting what may have occurred at the quicksand pool, and ultimately a full-length documentary.
"I want people to see what real Utahraptors should be like, not the 'Jurassic Park' version," Kirkland said.
Contributing: Ray Boone
Cassidy Hansen is currently studying both Political Science and Communications at Brigham Young University, while working as an intern at the Deseret News. Contact her at chansen@deseretnews.com
