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Plateosaurus makes debut in Brussels museum

10:19 18/12/2017

A new dinosaur skeleton is now on view at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels. “Ben the Plateosaurus” was unveiled last Friday in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the museum’s Dinosaur Gallery.

Ben the Plateosaurus (pictured) was found in Switzerland and is 80% intact, making him an exceptional dinosaur fossil. Because he is in such good condition, he is being exhibited without a glass case.

Plateosaurus is one of the earliest of the large dinosaurs to roam the earth. Previous to this genus, dinosaurs were no more than 1.5 metres long. Ben is some 210 million years old.

Ben is named after the palaeontologist who discovered him at a quarry in Frick, Switzerland. The site is known for its excellent preservation of dinosaur bones: More than 30 Plateosaurus skeletons in various stages of completeness have been unearthed there in the last 40 years.

The Plateoteam at the Museum of Natural Sciences worked for 18 months to help extract the bones and reconstruct the skeleton. The Frick Dinosaur Museum has given Ben to the Brussels museum on permanent loan.

The Dinosaur Gallery opened in 2007 and is the largest exhibition of dinosaur skeletons in Europe. Since opening, more than 3.2 million people have visited.

Photo courtesy Museum Natural Sciences

Written by Lisa Bradshaw