The Museum of Evolution at the Knuthenborg Safari Park in Denmark has unveiled its newest animal attraction: A 150 million-year-old Camarasaurus, found in a quarry in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming.
But the dinosaur’s journey from the Cowboy State became a harrowing one when the massive long-necked Camarasaurus was flown from Utah to Denmark, but got lost for a week along the way.
Christoffer Knuth, the director of the Museum of Evolution, told Cowboy State Daily that the fossilized skeleton is notable for its "exceptional preservation." More than 97% of the bones from the 42-foot-long giant were found, many still connected as they would have been when the dinosaur was alive.
"Such completeness is rare and offers profound insights into the dinosaur's anatomy and lifestyle, making it a crucial piece for both public display and scientific study,” he said.
Papers, Please
Camarasaurus, an herbivorous sauropod, is one of the most common dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic Period more than 146 million years ago. Knuth said the specimen acquired by the Museum of Evolution was discovered in 2017 and excavated from a quarry in Ten Sleep in May 2019.
"After the Camarasaurus was excavated, it underwent over 12,000 hours of meticulous restoration in Utah," he said. "The specimen was then shipped from Utah to the Museum of Evolution in Denmark."
But the massive sauropod's journey wasn't easy.
After the specimen was meticulously packed for the transatlantic trip to Denmark, it had an extended and unexpected layover in Switzerland.
"The specimen was shipped directly from Utah, but mistakenly registered in customs upon arrival in Switzerland," Knuth said. "This registration error extended the normally one-week transit period to two weeks before the shipment continued to Denmark."
There was even a moment when the dinosaur disappeared between Switzerland and Denmark. Since it was shipped in several containers, multiple trackers were needed to follow the specimen's journey, and their information got mixed up.
Once the Wyoming dinosaur was found in the Swiss capital of Zurich and confirmed as Danish property, it successfully reached its new home at the Museum of Evolution — much to the relief of Knuth and his peers, who are thrilled to have such a large and exceptionally well-preserved dinosaur in their collection.
"It's a world-class specimen," he said.
Big Joe, a Wyoming Allosaurus, is in the background in front of a box with a Camarasaurus found in the same area. Right, Director Christoffer Knuth and paleontologist Brock Sisson inspect the contents before unpacking and building the Camarasaurus. (Museum of Evolution, Denmark) 
Left, Director, Christoffer Knuth looks upon the boxes as they arrive at the Museum of Evolution. Right, Camarasaurus discovered in Wyoming in 2017, found in a near-perfect state of preservation, curled up as it was upon its death. (Museum of Evolution, Denmark) 
Camarasaurus in her new home at the Museum of Evolution in Denmark. (Museum of Evolution, Denmark) 
Camarasaurus in her new home at the Museum of Evolution in Denmark. (Museum of Evolution, Denmark) 
Director Christoffer Knuth assisting with putting the first and heaviest piece in place, the sacrum of the Camarasaurus. (Museum of Evolution, Denmark)
Shipping Sauropods
Levi Shinkle, the former collections manager at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, has shipped many fossils domestically and overseas. He knows how difficult it can be to get a dinosaur to its destination.
"We shipped one to Germany in 2021, and it took forever to get there," he said. "It definitely spent some time in a warehouse overseas while we were trying to figure out where it was or how to get it there. Another time, we were told a dinosaur was somewhere between Los Angeles and Frankfurt. It ended up being held up in customs in London."
Shinkle said there are always customs issues when shipping dinosaurs internationally, but the larger challenge was preparing the fossils for shipping. A lot of time was spent acquiring the supplies and certifications to meet rigid standards for international shipping.
"If you use any container or crate that contains solid wood, it has to be certified so you don't accidentally send an invasive species to another country," he said. "If you make it all out of plywood, it's not an issue, but plywood isn't as strong as solid wood.”
The strength of the wood is essential when shipping dinosaur fossils. A single fossilized bone from a Camarasaurus can weigh more than 500 pounds, yet be as thin as tissue paper in some places.
Wyoming isn't known as a hub for international shipping, which presented a unique problem for Shinkle and the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. Commercial resources used for packaging anything, let alone dinosaurs, are not always accessible in places like Thermopolis, if they can be found at all.
"We don't have access to a Lowe's or a Home Depot or any sort of specialty shipping in Thermopolis," he said. "We had to get creative, which took much more effort."
Reuse And Recycle
Whenever Shinkle had to prepare a fossil for shipping, it often meant building a custom-made crate or container. The easiest way to do it was to disassemble old crates from previous international shipments to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center and use the lumber to make new crates.
"We'd get stamped crates back from other countries, rebuild from those stamped crates, and add new plywood and stuff like that," he said. "And we used boxes with cut and glued pieces of plywood as supports to make them stronger. We got a lot of use out of recycling."
Each fossil had to fit snuggly in its shipping crate. If it wasn't secure, moved too much during transport or bumped against other fossils on the way, a fossil could bater itself to pieces before getting where it needed to go.
Without an easily accessible source for high-quality packing, Shinkle also had to improvise. He found solutions in local businesses.
"To get good padding, we would go to the local quilt store and wrap the fossils in quilt batting," he said. "Then we would use household foam insulation because it comes in sheets of the same size as plywood. We'd stack those, cut out holes, put the fossils in those holes, and pack it with the batting and stuff so it wouldn't move around."
Using recycling techniques and locally sourced supplies, Shinkle ensured every fossil was snuggly packed for wherever it was going, whenever it got there. Dinosaurs might be impressive when assembled, but don't get any special treatment during shipping.
"From a shipping standpoint, it's just shipping a bunch of rocks," he said.
Dinosaurs On International Wings
Dinosaurs like Camarasaurus couldn't fly, but Wyoming dinosaurs are constantly winging their way to museums around the globe. In addition to Denmark, Wyoming Camarasaurus specimens stand in the dinosaur halls of museums in France, Japan and Switzerland.
The Museum of Evolution already had one Wyoming dinosaur in its collection before the arrival of its Camarasaurus. "Big Joe," an Allosaurus, has been described as the best-preserved specimen of its kind ever found with more than 95% of its skeleton preserved.
Knuth said the Museum of Evolution intends to expand its collection of Wyoming dinosaurs. Another specimen found in the same quarry in Ten Sleep as the Camarasaurus is already destined for Denmark.
"We are announcing plans to introduce another dinosaur from the same Wyoming quarry next year," he said. "The museum continually aims to enhance its exhibits, including some of the world's most well-preserved and unique dinosaur fossils, thereby enriching scientific research and public education on evolutionary history."
Contact Andrew Rossi at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
