Feb. 10th, 2005
MISSING DINOSAUR HEAD!!!  REWARD OFFERED!!!

     The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center is offering a reward for information leading to the return of the Albertosaurus dinosaur head, stolen from the Monument Hill billboard on I-25 sometime over the last few days.

According to Roben Blakey, Southern Colorado Account Executive for Viacom Outdoor, the billboard was installed last Friday, February 4. “We’ve never had a billboard extension stolen before. Why?  Why would someone want to steal this huge dinosaur head?” she wondered.  “Somebody must really want a piece of a dinosaur to risk life and limb taking it.”

Pebbles, the 75 million year old victim, is part of a marketing campaign for the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, located at the palms in Woodland Park, Colorado, 18 miles west of Colorado Springs.  Pebbles’ missing head piece is 9 foot by 4 foot, really ferocious looking and weighs close to 100 pounds.  Tire marks near the billboard site indicate it was probably disconnected from the billboard with power tools, a lot of effort on the thieves part and was removed from the scene after last weekend’s snow.

Pebbles is an eight foot tall, 20-25 foot long carnivorous dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America.  She had a three foot long skull full of dagger-like teeth designed to catch and kill medium and large prey like hadrosaurs, small ceratopsians and other ornithiscians and theropods.  Albertosaurus is a very close relative of the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex (scheduled to go on exhibit at the Dinosaur Resource Center Saturday, February 12).   Pebbles lived in the same area, and inhabited a similar role as Tyrannosaurus, but lived some 10 million years earlier in time.  She is also on exhibit at the Dinosaur Resource Center.

     Anyone with information on Pebbles head may contact the RMDRC at 719-686-1820.  A free family four pack admission certificate will be presented to anyone with information on the location of Pebbles’ head.

For additional information contact Tracie Bennitt at 719-686-1820 X112.