Dracula

Unearthed from a dinosaur graveyard dating to 150 million years ago, this Jurassic killer, known to scientists as Allosaurus, is known to his discovery team simply as 'Dracula'.

A new and exciting fossil discovery, Ten Sleep’s own “Dracula,” ranks as one of only a handful of Allosaurus skeletons ever found with a completely articulated skull and intact razor sharp teeth. His elongated dentition, which is seemingly preserved in a menacing grin, is reminiscent of a bloodthirsty vampire, which explains his catchy appellation.

As articulated Jurassic age dinosaur skulls that have been preserved intact and without distortion are extremely rare, ‘Dracula’ is one of several unique dinosaur skeletons that have emerged from Ten Sleep, Wyoming.

Recent excavations in Ten Sleep have produced a spectacular fossil locality, preserving an enormous death assemblage of dinosaurs. Thus, in a relatively small quarry, over a dozen individual skeletons have so far been discovered, representing a variety of species, both predator and prey. These virtually complete and exquisitely preserved skeletons tell a fascinating story which paleontologists have yet to fully explore.

Current speculation suggests that the quarry site may have previously been a natural trap where herbivorous species, mostly sauropods, perished together in a shrinking water hole possibly during a draught. The weak and dying may have gotten caught in the mud long enough to attract the attention of the predators, which in turn were trapped while feeding on ‘easy pickings’. The carnage preserved here is reminiscent of the conditions that existed in the Tar pits of Rancho La Brea, where Ice Age mammals were frozen in time together, like a snapshot in time.

So far, the Ten Sleep time capsule has produced the following species: Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, Camarasaurus, Stegosaurus, Othnielosaurus, Torvosaurus and two unidentified dromaeosaurus species, together with turtles and a pterosaur.