A Triceratop Dinosaur coming to Iceland?
The bones are estimated to be 65 million years old. Photo/Reykjavíkurborg
A part of a dinosaur skeleton could be on its way to Reykjavík according to an announcement on the city's website. The skeleton would be a gift and are said to be approximately 65 million years old.
The City Council agreed today on forming a working group to evaluate the cost of accepting the gift but that would include transportation to the country, the configuration of the skeleton and installation, the preservation and other costs.
Explore the interest of museums and galleries
The working group will explore the interest of museums and other parties which could house the sceleton and take care of cost based on a special contract. Furthermore, the working group will assess all cost relating to any installation costs, and configuration as it relates to missing bones that need to be rebuilt.
In the working group there will be representatives from the City's Environmental and planning Department, the Department of Culture and Tourism and from the Office of Economic Development. The plan is to finish the cost estimates and other practical issues before the 23rd of May 2023.
Wants the gift to be in his mother's name
The managing director of the Association Leap Lab, Marcus Eriksen, wished to give this gift to the city of Reykjavík. The sceleton is a part of a sceleton of a Triceratop. The archeological find is from Wyoming state in the United States, where Leap Lab has been conducting excavation of dinosaur bones.
Eriksen is Icelandic on his mother's side and his condition for this gift to Reykjavík is that the skeleton is given in his mother's name and showcased in a museum or an ongoing exhibition in Reykjavík. Icelanders are also invited to partake in excavations in Wyoming with Leap Lab next summer.
Had been bitten by a Gram Dinosaur
It was Eriksen's then five year old daughter that found a strange bone five years ago which started the excavation of the skeleton they now name "Ken". What makes this particular find even more interesting is that this triceratop shows marks of being bitten by a Gram Dinosaur based on marks on its tailbone. "This is an animal that survived a vicious attack and got away," says Eriksen. At this moment 30% of the skeleton have been found, and he hopes they will find more. Otherwise they might resort to 3D printing for missing bones in order to put the whole skeleton together.
