Thick Skin Is the Explanation for Mummified Dinosaur Fossils

Some of the latest archaeological finds, the dinosaurs that were believed to have been found mummified, are actually just thick-skinned animals. Well, truthfully, they are very thick-skinned animals, considering that their skins made for their conservation, millions of years later. The hype that was generated around these so-called mummies, ever since they were first discovered, about a century ago, is bound to fade and die out eventually, experts say.
 

According to scientists, wet soils are responsible for these rare occurrences. River beds and lake sides offered excellent conditions for thick-skinned dinosaurs to be preserved while, at the same time, preventing their mummification. It's common knowledge that, naturally, mummification only occurs in very dry and hot places, which usually involve sand to some extent.
 

Animals that died among leaves, branches and wet soil had none of the conditions above to become mummies. Rather, the vegetation around them formed a "cocoon" of sorts, keeping a steady temperature and humidity level over the years. Their thick skin protected them and allowed for everything inside to be kept intact. Other fossils only comprise of bones, which give little indication as to what and how much they ate.
 

The main objective archaeologists have, of finding an intact dinosaur fossil (or mummy), which would also contain its last meal, remains standing. Current decomposition rates make soft tissue degrade and disappear first, while hard tissue, such as bone, remains over time, especially if it has the right atmospheric conditions to do so.
 

Newly-discovered "mummy" dinosaurs put an end to the claims some scientists made, of finding mummified animals. Utah Museum of Natural History's Eric Lund discovered about a dozen of these dinosaurs in southern Utah recently, all coming from sand riverbeds. "It doesn't look like desiccation," he said, referring to the way the fossil looked.