Einstein
Most complete Apatosaurus Dinosaur to date
85% original bone one animal
23 meters
EINSTEIN
Barry James, MS Vertebrate Paleontology
Owner, Prehistoric Journeys
Barry's team dedicated 20 months to extracting over 200 massive bones from the hardened sediments of its 150 million-year burial. Ultimately, they created a dynamic and graceful design to support this giant skeleton, which became the 155th animal assembled at that time in 2007. Currently, Barry James is working on assembling a record-sized and complete Triceratops horridus, with a 10-foot skull mounted and bones prepared for display after a year into the project. More rare pieces are emerging from the ground—yes!
Jeff Marshall
Owner Natural History Co.
Barry and I meet in 1977 just after he moved to Santa Barbara. One day in November that year he showed up at our Little Rock shop Natures Own we struck up a friendship that has lasted all these years.
Considered an exceptionally rare discovery, this skull is directly linked to the skeleton
Why name this Dinosaur Einstein?Well this skull was found with an intact braincase within its skull. the bone fits nicely into place in the skull but can be lifted out to study.
Skull and Brain case. Realizing a brain no larger than a mans thumb measured from the wrist. About the volume of a 1/2 cup or 4.88 cubic inches
Although not all of the elements of the skull were preserved as luck would have it Dr Bob Bakker had just unearthed a complete Apatosaur skull no other bones. The skull matched the size of Einstein allowing molds to replace missing bits of the skull
A display and display box for the Original skull while a copy of the original skull is placed on the skeleton
Stratigraphy
Famous Morrison Formation present day Wyoming step back 158 million years where a shallow sea has just receded leaving behind a lush forest,flat lands and meandering rivers. The continent was at a lower latitude just north of the equator. A super continent existed but now was breaking up. Periodic drought's recorded by fossil clam shells periodic mass mortality.These drought events left behind water holes filled with fine sediments of Bentonite clay sand and lime. A perfect trap for thirsty animals. Einstein was not the first Dinosaur to meet its death in these mud holes multiple Dinosaurs preceded him. The beauty of this form of burial was that it was rapid, but even more important the existence of Bentonite clay a clay formed by decomposed Volcanic ash. The ash resulted from volcanic activity to the south and west. This ash is a volcanic glass composed of silica . The silica glass is easily desolved by water moving through the ground and into the pores of the buried bone. Perfect the silica solution forms a strong bond with the oxygen from water forming tiny quartz crystals. The tiny crystals line each cell of the bone completely replacing each cell of the bone. Now no longer a fragile bone but quartz hard enough to scratch glass. It takes diamond studded saw blade to slowly cut the now petrified bone.
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World Traveler Engineered to Travel casually set up or taken down in 16 hours. Each bone is cradled to a perfect fit. Top shelf design nice job Barry
Image right Barn lab Sunbury Pennsylvania
Center Abu Dhabi Zaved International airport
left Penn. Resolution House of Representatives
left Monterrey Mexico Children's Museum
Barry's view of placing the neck
in a horizontal position the pose now favored by palaeontologist's
