Page 75 - The Restless Earth Fossils

74 Fossils

discovered by paleontologist Arthur Lakes in 1874 (described as a
“fossil saurian tooth” and labeled YPM 4192) was finally identified
as a T. rex tooth by Ken Carpenter at the Denver Museum of Nature
and Science. The tooth had been sent to the Yale Peabody Museum
(the YPM in the identification tag), but was never described in a
scientific paper. It was not until 1905 that paleontologists uncov-
ered more complete T. rex remains in Wyoming, and by then the
saurian tooth had been forgotten. Without a well-labeled and
dated specimen, however, Carpenter would never have properly
linked this important specimen with its site of discovery.

preparing For “happy accidents”
In 1922, Roy Chapman Andrews, a paleontologist with the
American Museum of Natural History, led an expedition to the
Gobi Desert in central Asia. Scientists of the day hoped that he
might find the remains of early humans in the area. Instead, a
paleontologist in the party found mammal and dinosaur bones
plus eggshell fragments they thought may have belonged to some
primitive bird. Rather than push on to other locations to pursue
their original goal, Andrews’s expedition had the good sense to
realize they had found a rich, unexpected treasure. During the
follow-up trip in 1923, expedition members ultimately found a
total of 25 complete eggs, many of them in nests. Dinosaur bones
lay close by. In one case, a dinosaur skeleton lay draped over a
clutch of eggs. Andrews was the first one to find dinosaur eggs—a
discovery that eventually made him famous. (Andrews is con-
sidered to be the inspiration for the fictional character Indiana
Jones.) More importantly, Andrews’s discovery led to many more
finds and inspired new generations of fossil hunters.
Andrews’s “happy accident” has been repeated many times
in many ways by other paleontologists. It demonstrates an
important, two-pronged lesson: Be prepared (or you may not
find anything), but be open to seizing opportunity when you
trip over it. It might just turn out to be even more exciting than
your original goal.

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