Alberta’s Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology displays a nodosaur fossil that is so well-preserved that bumps and crevasses on its surface are clearly visible. National Geographic‘s Robert Clark captured amazing images.
The nodosaur was minding its own business about 110 million years ago, when a flooded river swept it out to sea, burying it in delta silt. There is stayed untouched until 2011, when workers accidentally uncovered the rare find. After extensive cleanup, the nodosaur was put on display. Via National Geographic:
Armored dinosaurs’ trademark plates usually scattered early in decay, a fate that didn’t befall this nodosaur. The remarkably preserved armor will deepen scientists’ understanding of what nodosaurs looked like and how they moved.
Plenty more pictures on their site.
* The amazing dinosaur found (accidentally) by miners in Canada (National Geographic)