Quick Facts

Daspletosaurus torosus
Pronounced (DAS-PLEE-TO-SAR-US  TOR-OH-SUS)


 

Nickname: "Pete 3"
Discovery Central Montana
Diet: Meat Eater (Carnivore)
Period: Late Cretaceous
Age: 75 million years
Formation: Judith River
Length: 36 ft
Location of Original Specimen: RMDRC, Woodland Park, CO

Pete 3 is a very large example of the rare theropod dinosaur Daspletosaurus. Many scientists consider Tyrannosaurus rex to be the direct descendant of the earlier Daspletosaurus.

Pictures

Pete 3's bones were not very spread out. The matrix was a fairly soft sandy siltstone, making digging relatively easy.


The largest of 72 jackets recovered weighed in at over 4 tons! From left to right, Owner Mike Triebold, Paleo Tech Jacob Jett, and Curator Anthony Maltese provide scale.


Shop SupervisorJim Gordon attaches casters to the frame so that we can maneuver it in the lab. Even on wheels, a forklift is needed to move the jacket.

Preparation is only now beginning, however we are already discovering many toes.


A mid-caudal (tail) vertebra.


The remains of Pete 3's last meal, a partially digested small duckbill lower jaw found in the body cavity region.

Field Notes

The weather this summer was hot and dry, with temperatures reaching close to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Smoke from nearby wildfires cast a haze over the dig site, but since we were not delayed by rainfall, we were able to excavate the entire skeleton in around three weeks. Special thanks to the landowners, who brought us refreshments on some of the hottest days!

Lab Notes

Preparation is ongoing, though we hope to have some serious progress done within a year. Specimens of this magnitude can easily take over two years to finish.