Scientists Intrigued by Dinosaur With Green Bones

Green Horn

The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles has a fascinating new exhibit in the form of a dinosaur that was unearthed in the Badlands of Utah back in 2007 — with, strikingly, green bones.

It's the only green-boned dinosaur to have ever been found, according to museum officials.

It dates back to a time in the late Jurassic Era, around 150 million years ago, making it well over twice as old as the Tyrannosaurus rex.

The green color is the result of a mineral called celadonite, which seeped into the bones during volcanic activity around 50 to 80 million years ago. Celadonite usually only forms under these conditions, which are technically extreme enough to destroy bones.

Fortunately for us, the dinosaur — dubbed "Gnatalie" because of all of the gnats that swarmed the paleontologists' heads as they unearthed its bones — survived the ordeal and is making its debut at the LA Natural History Museum later this year.

"Dinosaurs are a great vehicle for teaching our visitors about the nature of science, and what better than a green, almost 80-foot-long dinosaur to engage them in the process of scientific discovery and make them reflect on the wonders of the world we live in!" said Dinosaur Institute team member Luis Chiappe in a told the Associated Press.

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Meet Gnatalie! She’s going to be the new resident at the Natural History Museum. Read Original