April 4 is Dinosaur Day, when full-scale dinosaur research is said to have begun. This summer, dinosaur fossils with traces of skin that have been decided to be exhibited at the reopened Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum were opened to the press on the occasion of "Dinosaur Day".
This fossil is of a herbivorous dinosaur called "Brachylophosaurus" excavated in Montana, USA in 2000, and according to the Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, this is the first time it will be exhibited in Japan.
The fossil, nicknamed "Leonardo", is known as a real mummy fossil with traces of skin and is registered in the Guinness World Records for its good state of preservation.
This summer, in conjunction with the reopening of the Prefectural Dinosaur Museum in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture, we decided to lease it from an American museum for 10 years, and on the 17th, the fossils were opened to the press at a warehouse in Fukui City.
This fossil is about 3.2 meters long, and almost all the bones of the whole body remain from the head to the hind legs.
In addition, from the neck to the shoulder area, muscle swelling can be clearly seen, hexagonal scales, and traces of skin can also be seen.
Toshitoshi Takeuchi, director of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, said, "It is a very valuable fossil with skin and scales, and I expect that the actual dinosaur mummy fossil, which will be exhibited for the first time in Japan, will become a major highlight of the dinosaur museum after the renovation."