A rare Brachiosaurus bone is now at home in the Utah Field House of Natural History Museum in Vernal. The Utah Department of Natural Resources issued a press release explaining that a team of paleontologists, including some from Vernal, recovered the 6-foot 7-inch humerus bone belonging to the 30-ton dinosaur from the desert of southern Utah. Fragments of the left humerus and several ribs were also collected from the area. The Brachiosaurus dinosaur was first discovered in Grand Junction in the year 1900 Finding one of its humerus bones is especially rare in that only two previous have been found in the last 120 years. “The giraffe-like Brachiosaurus is distinguished by its long front legs, deep chest, and long neck,” shares the press release. “The discovered bone, the humerus, is the upper arm/leg bone for this towering creature. This is only the third Brachiosaurus humerus ever found – and the first in Utah. The bone and its surrounding rock and enclosing plaster and burlap ‘field jacket’ weighed more than 1000lbs and was removed with the assistance of two Clydesdale horses. The site was found in May 2019 by paleoartist Brian Engh and was removed in October after permits were cleared and after securing the assistance of a horse team.” The Clydesdale horse team, led by Wes and Resha Barlett of Naples, hauled the bone out of the remote site across rugged terrain. Darla and Molly, the Bartlett’s horses, saved the team from sore backs and injuries if the bone had to be removed fully under human power. Vernal team member John Foster, a 29 season veteran of working in the Morrison Formation, said, “This is the first time I’ve even seen a Brachiosaurus in the field. Collecting one is a rare treat!” The bone is being prepared at the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum in Vernal and made its first public appearance at an unveiling in the lobby of the Museum on Thursday. A screening of the documentary Jurassic Reimagined, featuring the Brachiosaurus humerus bone, was also shown at the Field House that evening.
