Uncovering the Life of Wyoming's Celebrity Dinosaur 'Big Al' Through 'Bone Histology' Tests
Key Highlights :
Scientists are set to reanalyze the bones of Wyoming's celebrity dinosaur, dubbed 'Big Al,' to uncover more about its prehistoric life. The almost intact skeleton of a teenage Allosaurus was discovered in 1991, and has taught scientists more than they had ever expected about a dinosaur's complex life and immune system. Described by paleontologists as 'one of the most complete large theropods recovered to date' — with 95 percent of its fossilized skeleton recovered — Big Al's 19 bone injuries have helped researchers explore the dinosaur's rough and tumble life.
Past studies by the University of Exeter in the UK and others have explored Big Al's bone abnormalities, finding evidence that the dinosaur had 'an immune system that isolated and localized infections' similar to modern birds. Now, scientists are looking to go 'beyond the injuries' by examining thin slices of Al's bones in a new 'bone histology' study.
The hope is to study Big Al's development and bone growth to better understand how he interacted with his environment. 'You can learn a lot from the outside of dinosaur bones,' said paleontologist Dr. John Scannella, a curator at the Museum of the Rockies. 'The size, the shape, how big the animal was, was it eating meat or plants. By looking inside the bones, there's a lot more we can uncover. We can get into the details of the paleobiology by looking inside.'
The paleontologist is tight-lipped about what this new 'bone histology' study might uncover. However, a 'pivotal' 2002 study of Big Al published by paleontologist Rebecca Hanna poured over the dino's 19 bone injuries, including an informative pus-filled growth on its right foot. The growth proved to be osteomyelitis, inflammation from an infection in the bone, which may have led to its death.
Two years before Hannah's study, on Christmas of 2000, the BBC produced a CGI dramatized special, 'The Ballad of Big Al,' highlighting Hanna's preliminary research to tell the teenage Allosaur's life story. The half-hour special won two Emmy Awards, making Big Al one of Wyoming's largest and oldest celebrities.
Now, scientists are hoping that thin slices and cross-sections of Big Al's bones, not unlike the rings on an old-growth tree, will help them more fully chart the dinosaur's dramatic life in Shell, Wyoming, 150 million years ago. The study could help uncover more about the dinosaur's development and bone growth, as well as how it interacted with its environment.
The bones of 'Big Al' have already taught scientists more than they ever expected about a dinosaur's complex life and immune system. Now, researchers are hoping to uncover even more details about the prehistoric animal's life through 'bone histology' tests.
