SOME of the world鈥檚 best-loved dinosaur skeletons are becoming victims of
their own popularity. Chemical corrosion made worse by the moisture on visitors鈥�
breath and vibration-induced cracks have seriously damaged a triceratops
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skeleton displayed since 1905 at the Smithsonian Institution鈥檚 National Museum
of Natural History in Washington DC. Michael Brett-Surman, a palaeontologist at
the museum, is advising other museums to check their specimens for damage.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a common misconception that a fossil is a rock,鈥� says Brett-Surman.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not. Fossils are very fragile.鈥� With seven million visitors a year
exhaling inside the Smithsonian museum, humidity can reach 95 per cent. That
moisture encourages iron and sulphur minerals to form unstable iron sulphides,
causing fossils to crumble with 鈥減yrite disease鈥�.
The triceratops has also been damaged by the metal rods on which the display
is mounted. The rods are not padded, so they transmit vibrations from visitors鈥�
feet and passing traffic outside the building. This has caused the bones to
develop cracks and crumble. Smithsonian staff discovered the problem when they
sought to update their displays. The triceratops is in the worst condition, but
a mounted Stegosaurus and a mammoth suffer similar problems,
Brett-Surman told a meeting of the Society for Vertebrate Paleontology in Denver
this week. The fossils have been displayed for decades in an open area where
climate control is not possible.
鈥淲e know the public wants to see real bones,鈥� says Brett-Surman. But the
triceratops skeleton is too fragile to remain on display. After repairs, most of
the bones will be stored away from the public gaze. A lighter cast will replace
it in the open display, with the original skull mounted nearby in a transparent,