Unique Green-Boned Dinosaur Gnatalie to be Showcased in Los Angeles

The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles is preparing to display a new dinosaur, which is not only a member of a unique species but also has bones that are green, making it the only one of its kind on Earth, museum officials revealed. This dinosaur, named “Gnatalie,” after the gnats present during its excavation, features a distinctive dark mottled olive green coloration, attributed to the mineral celadonite during the fossilization process.
Typically, fossils are brown due to silica or black from iron minerals, making green a rarity. Celadonite, a mineral that forms in volcanic or hydrothermal conditions that usually damage buried bones, seeped into the fossils around 50 million to 80 million years ago during volcanic activity, replacing a previous mineral.
Living 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic Era, Gnatalie predates the Tyrannosaurus rex. Its fossils were unearthed in 2007 in the Badlands of Utah, offering scientists a remarkable opportunity for further study and discovery.
Luis M. Chiappe from the museum’s Dinosaur Institute expressed excitement over the unique dinosaur, highlighting its potential to engage visitors in scientific discovery and inspire awe for the world we inhabit. The discovery of Gnatalie has astonished experts like Matt Wedel, an anatomist and paleontologist at Western University of Health Sciences near Los Angeles, who was amazed by the unprecedented nature of these green bones.
Gnatalie resembles a sauropod species known as Diplodocus, and a scientific paper detailing this groundbreaking discovery will be published next year. This sauropod, a colossal herbivorous dinosaur grouping that includes iconic species like Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus, will soon be on display at the museum’s welcome center, offering a glimpse into the prehistoric world for visitors.
Experts like John Whitlock from Mount Aloysius College in Pennsylvania find the complete skeleton of Gnatalie invaluable in filling gaps in understanding regarding less complete dinosaur specimens. This massive discovery contributes significantly to enhancing our knowledge of taxonomic and anatomical diversity within the dinosaur kingdom.
After a public vote, the museum christened the dinosaur “Gnatalie” last month, opting for a name that reflects its distinctive green coloration and adding an exciting new chapter to the institution’s collection of ancient wonders.