EXHIBIT 79
Saurolophus angustirostris
Distinctive crests, skin and perinatal evidence.
TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST
Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.
Life reconstruction of the Canadian species Saurolophus osborni by TotalDino. Species differ in crest and scale anatomy; reconstructed soft tissues and colors are interpretive. This is not the Mongolian S. angustirostris featured in the cinematic view. [2]
Saurolophus TD.png · TotalDino. CC BY-SA 4.0. Commons-listed 1280px current preview resized proportionally for the thumbnail and converted to WebP; no anatomical edits. Same source license applies.
Scientific reconstruction is an interpretation; source credit does not certify every anatomical detail.
Original cinematic interpretation of Saurolophus angustirostris. Coloration, soft tissues and scenery are artistic choices; reconstructed proportions do not establish a measured individual. Lighting, coloration and scenery are artistic choices. This image does not document a fossil locality or behavior.
Original artwork · artistic interpretation.
Scientific view: source-informed reconstruction, credited paleoart or specimen-based imagery. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Reconstructions involve uncertainty.
MEET THE ANIMAL
Saurolophus was a plant-eating dinosaur with a solid crest on its head. Canadian and Mongolian species shared the genus name, but their skulls and growth patterns were not identical. Comparing the species helps researchers separate features shared by relatives from differences belonging to one particular kind of animal. [D1] [D2]
Skin impressions add details that bones cannot provide. They preserve arrangements of scales, including different patterns in the two species. Bands of different scale types are evidence of skin structure, rather than proof of colored stripes. An illustration may show a pattern of pigment, but that choice cannot be read directly from those scale impressions. [D3]
Very young Mongolian animals were found with eggshell fragments. Their skulls lacked the developed adult crest, helping reveal how appearance changed during growth. Researchers could not firmly decide whether the animals were still embryos or had already hatched. The association supplies important reproductive evidence without settling incubation time, parental feeding, or the exact moment of hatching. [D4]
PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER
The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.
Paired gallery species differ.
Profile scope: Genus — Saurolophus; species distinguished below.
Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.
A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.
About 12.6 m for PIN 662/2
The estimate scales this large S. angustirostris individual against the roughly ten-metre holotype. It lacks histological sampling and is not a verified biological maximum or a genus-wide size range. [D8]
About 6,640 kg for AMNH 5220
Limb-circumference estimate for mature S. osborni; not a genus average or Mongolian S. angustirostris. [D7]
Plant-eating
The museum identifies Saurolophus as herbivorous. This classification does not establish exact plant species, feeding height or seasonal food preferences. [D1]
Canadian and Mongolian continental settings
The Mongolian Dragon’s Tomb animals accumulated in a meandering river channel. The depositional setting is directly studied; their full habitat preferences remain uncertain. [D5]
Adults probably mainly used four legs
Comparative skeletal criteria support predominantly quadrupedal adult hadrosaurids. This family-level inference does not establish a unique gait or speed for either Saurolophus species. [D6]
Solid crest and species-specific scale patterns
Fossils preserve differing scale arrangements in the Canadian and Mongolian species. Tail bands in S. angustirostris concern scale architecture, not proven colored stripes. [D2] [D3]
Perinatal bones with eggshell fragments
Mongolian S. angustirostris material includes very young individuals and associated shell. The study cannot firmly distinguish near-term embryos from hatchlings, or establish clutch size, incubation time or parental feeding. [D4]
Not established here
The reviewed crest, skin, young-animal and bonebed sources do not establish mate choice, display rituals or sex-specific crest functions.
Group living inferred for Mongolian material
The Dragon’s Tomb preserves multiple Saurolophus size classes. Taphonomic analysis supports a social group dying together; cause of death and long-term herd organization remain unresolved. [D5]
Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.
THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS
Impressions associated with Saurolophus skeletons record how scales varied across the body. The species differ in these arrangements. A striped-looking arrangement of scale types does not tell us that the living animal carried stripes of pigment. [3]
The smallest Mongolian individuals add another dimension: their skulls lack the developed adult crest. They help reconstruct growth, while their developmental state leaves the moment of hatching unresolved. [4]
The dossier identifies the scope of each reference estimate. A mount, an individual fossil and a species-wide adult range are different measurements. Comparison metrics remain unavailable where adult scope has not been established. Unknown does not mean zero.
Sources support the stated claims and scopes. Refer to the evidence notes for uncertainty.
KEEP EXPLORING
Maiasaura peeblesorum
Maiasaura preserves detailed evidence of growth, nesting and possible care.
Gryposaurus monumentensis
Gryposaurus was a duck-billed dinosaur with an arched nose; its species differ in skull construction.
Alioramus altai
Alioramus had a long low snout; its best-described skeleton was young.
