In Images: An Apatosaurus Discovery

Morrison Museum

The Morrison Natural History Museum is a small teaching museum located in the Colorado foothills town of Morrison.

Preparing Kevin

Matthew Mossbrucker demonstrates an airscribe tool used to remove concrete-like sandstone from around the fragile fossil. He and his colleagues have been working on this boulder for two years.

Apatosaurus Illustration

A whiteboard illustration in the Morrison Natural History Museum's prep lab shows which part of the skull is represented in the rock.

Kevin's Snout

The boulder contains snout bones, known as the maxilla and premaxilla, of a Jurassic beast.

Apatosaurus Limb

The first Apatosaurus specimens were found in Morrison, just west of Denver. This right forelimb is on display at the Morrison Natural History Museum. It was discovered in 1878. White plaster holds the fragile bone together.

Quarry Five

A short drive from the Morrison museum is Quarry 5, where the boulder containing Kevin was found. The boulder had eroded out of the hillside and was sitting at the base of this outcrop.

Quarry Five at Dinosaur Ridge

Quarry 5 is maintained by a volunteer group, Friends of Dinosaur Ridge, and is open for tours.

Bones at Quarry 5

Dinosaur bones are visible in the sandstone at Quarry 5. Here, Matthew Mossbrucker examines an unidentified limb bone.

Apatosaurus Prep

Museum staff are working to prep a surprising fossil find: The first-ever snout of an Apatosaurus ajax, the largest apatosaurus species.

Kevin the Apatosaur

Dubbed "Kevin," a new apatosaur muzzle is embedded in a sandstone boulder with a jumble of other Jurassic animal remains.

Matthew Mossbrucker and Kevin

Morrison Natural History Musuem director Matthew Mossbrucker with "Kevin," a new Apatosaurus specimen found near Denver, Colo.