Why Most Fossils Are Incomplete

In 1990, fossil collectors in South Dakota stumbled across a dinosaur that turned out to be a really big deal. Not just because it was a T. rex – basically the most popular dino out there – or because it ended up in Chicago’s famous Field Museum… but because of the number of bones it had.

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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Taphonomy: the branch of paleontology that deals with the processes of fossilization
- Debris flow: a moving mass of loose mud, sand, soil, rock, water and air that travels down a slope under the influence of gravity

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Kate Yoshida | Script Writer, Narrator and Director
Arcadi Garcia i Rius | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation
Nathaniel Schroeder | Music

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[MarcColten]

In one of his humorous essays Mark Twain described how he helped assemble the largest Brontosaurus ever found. It was 57 feet long and 16 feet tall. He then says "We had nine bones and the rest was Plaster of Paris."

[adamkotter]

Openly explaining the limitations of paleontology and other areas of science instead of pretending like we have all the answers goes a long way towards building trust and scientific literacy. Thank you!

[jamiehall]

One of the first digs I was on was a large hadrosaur that had likely been burred in a flash flood since it was roughly 80% complete and was preserved so well there were skin impressions and other soft tissue impressions that would have otherwise been lost. I think the only thing missing from the skeleton was most of the tail and some toe bones but just about every other bone was accounted for. There was also a ton of plant material like well preserved pine cones and also turtle shells and fish bones. For something that died ~80 million years ago (Older than Sue) it was in great condition.
Another time I also found a baby rex tooth that was from an individual that wasn't even half grown. It was just the tip and was only about the size of my pinky nail but it had the same kind of serrations that you would see on an adult's tooth. Also interesting comparison, it would have been smaller than a Nanotyrannus' tooth if it was compleate and nanos have different serrations on their teeth.

[MozartTheGOAT]

As a fossil myself, I can confirm that this video is 100% correct

[niekpauwels]

Makes me think of the 30 something iguanodons found in a Belgium coal mine.
Most of the skeletons we complete, which makes the iguanodon by far one of the most studied and well understood species, as no other Dino species has that many complete skeletons

[rmdodsonbills]

I was living in South Dakota when it was found and when it "ended up" at the Field Museum. The story in between those two events is also fascinating (and a little infuriating). Not sure if you want to tackle the legal ramifications that can come from fossil hunting, but it might make an interesting video.

[Krishna-Govender]

This means that 100% fossilization would only be possible if there was a natural version of Han Solo's carbon freeze.

[garg]

Honestly the rarity of fossilization makes me wonder, it’s entirely possible for entire species to leave no record of their existence

I remember hearing on Kurzgesagt video that tropical jungles, where the majority of terrestrial species exist, it’s pretty difficult if not impossible for fossils to form, and considering much of the world had a similar environment for most of history… there’s no telling what all might’ve been lost to the sands of time

I hear people say there’s no record of something having existed in the fossil record, but that doesn’t mean it never existed, just that there’s no evidence to say it *does* exist

[diracio]

A great, thorough explanation of an important but often misunderstood area of science - thank you! Glad I'm a supporter of such great work

[toyuyn]

I never thought about it, but addressing survivorship bias must be pretty huge in paleontology

[wild_lee_coyote]

How many times when you are out hiking in the wilderness do you come across a complete skeleton? Usually is a few bones, maybe a skull. It’s even worse in some environments like dry aired ones where there is little chance of being buried and fossilized.

[C-Rex]

Is it true the fossils they display at museums are actually replicas, and the real bones are kept stored away to prevent them from being damaged?

[alphaapple]

At 1:59: Yoshi, a character from the Mario franchise is featured in this video.
At 2:08: Dry Bones, an enemy from the Mario franchise, is featured in this video.
At 2:24: Archen, the First Bird Pokémon from the Pokémon franchise, is featured in this video.

[brittneyziegler]

I saw Sue at the Field Museum (and Maximo, my beloved) a few years back and I love her set up so much. Turning the corner to see her is so wonderfully set up. I’d go back to Chicago just to go again

[dryzalizer]

2:33 I've never heard the term gantlet used instead of gauntlet, but apparently they're both technically correct in this example. I'm curious about the particular reasoning behind this choice.

[pierreabbat]

It's not just dinos. The Denisovans found in Denisova Cave were recent enough to compare their DNA with other members of the genus Homo, but consisted of just teeth and bone fragments.

[zenebean]

0:58 love the cranidos cameo, and the reference to how Gamefreak made the pachycephalosaurus pokemon a carnivore for some weird reason

[davetoms]

Great video, as always! Would love a video on the fossilization process itself, the chemistry involved, the events or environments that lead to it being more or less likely to occur, etc. 💚

[G-B-F]

1:58 Nooo Not my poor boi Yoshi 😢
2:24 They also got Archen 😂😅

[Aoderic]

So that's the reason why we have never found a complete Yoshi skeleton?