Bristol University to release Bristol Dinosaur

Description:

A grant awarded to a Bristol university is to be used to extract the famous Bristol dinosaur from rock.

 

The fossilised remains of Thecodontosaurus antiquus were first discovered in 1834, but the original was destroyed by bombing during World War II.

 

However, the University of Bristol has a specimen that has remained encased in rock since being found in the 1970s and the £295,000 of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund will allow the bones to be removed.

 

One of the world's leading experts on the prehistoric creatures, the establishment's Professor Mike Benton, suggested that the project means "more volunteers can be recruited and trained in the extraction process and there will be opportunities for young people from local schools to learn skills in palaeontology and conservation".

 

In September, Bristol University hosted the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology - the first time the event has ever been held outside the Americas.

 

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