Darren H Tanke
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Preparation Laboratory, Senior Technician II (Fossil Preparation Lab) at Royal Tyrrell Museum, member of and Canadian editor for INHIGEO (International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences)
Now the longest serving employee of the Royal Tyrrell Museum, in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, I have been there and its predecessor (the Paleontology Department at the Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton) since starting as a volunteer in the summer of 1979. My job at the Royal Tyrrell Museum is mainly the collection of fossil specimens (mostly Late Cretaceous dinosaurs and other vertebrates) and preparation of same for research and display purposes. I was Dr. Philip J. Currie's (Canadian dinosaur paleontologist) lab and field technician for about 25 years. Mostly in my spare time I do research and writing on various aspects of Alberta's early paleontological heritage, relocation of lost dinosaur quarries, identification of "mystery quarries" via dating and interpretation of garbage left in the site by workers long ago, ceratopsian ontogeny, and dinosaur paleopathology. Fieldwork has taken me across western Canada, Montana, Utah, Texas, Argentina, Mongolia, Australia, and France. Paleontology history research has also taken me to China, Norway and England (3 times).
People often ask how many lost dinosaur/etc quarries I have found and mystery dinosaur/etc quarries I have identified- the number now stands at 44. The last two so resolved were two 1931 Royal Ontario Museum Edmontosaurus quarries relocated identified by a local resident, but identified by me through fieldnotes and newspaper left in one site.
From the technical perspective, besides fossil preparation techniques, I am also interested in megafossil extraction techniques past and present, as well as rock cutting and coring technologies.
See also the "Talks" section of this page, I have uploaded some of my professional conference posters here. I also have a Wikipedia page.
Phone: (403) 823-7707 (ext. 3300).
Address: Royal Tyrrell Museum
Box 7500
Drumheller, AB
CANADA T0J 0Y0
People often ask how many lost dinosaur/etc quarries I have found and mystery dinosaur/etc quarries I have identified- the number now stands at 44. The last two so resolved were two 1931 Royal Ontario Museum Edmontosaurus quarries relocated identified by a local resident, but identified by me through fieldnotes and newspaper left in one site.
From the technical perspective, besides fossil preparation techniques, I am also interested in megafossil extraction techniques past and present, as well as rock cutting and coring technologies.
See also the "Talks" section of this page, I have uploaded some of my professional conference posters here. I also have a Wikipedia page.
Phone: (403) 823-7707 (ext. 3300).
Address: Royal Tyrrell Museum
Box 7500
Drumheller, AB
CANADA T0J 0Y0
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Caution is urged when dealing with archeological materials within paleontological sites; researchers should be aware of legislation, procedures and laws in their study areas.
Pathology of the teeth (deformations) are rare and skull pathology seldom recognized. Several examples of dentaries with healing fractures and/or massive infection have been observed. Dorsal vertebrae osteopathy consist of fused neural spines, wedge-shaped “hemivertebrae”, and excessive centrum unilateral growth. Rib fractures with well-aligned healing are well represented.
Forelimb injuries include severe fracture of a humerus with massive infection, simultaneous fracture with healing of a radius and ulna (which fused together mid-shaft), and few metacarpal and manal phalanges with minor fractures or infection.
The most serious example of hadrosaur osteopathy in Royal Tyrrell Museum (TMP) collections is an unspeciated lambeosaurine with bilateral fracture of the proximal ischia with extensive healing and without infection. It is remarkable this individual survived such a deep-body pelvic fracture, especially so near to the acetabulum. Pathology of the major hind limb bones is rare, as they were likely incompatible with survival; though a tibia with massive osteomyelitis is known. Despite a large sample size of metatarsals and pedal phalanges, traumatic or infectious osteopathy is infrequent, however osteochondrosis of the latter are well documented (Rothschild and Tanke, 2007).
The most common hadrosaur injuries affected caudal vertebrae, with so many specimens known that a demonstrable pattern of types and distribution of injuries is well understood. Only adult-sized animals are affected. Caudals demonstrate differing patterns of osteopathy that appear related to their anatomical position. Injuries of a serious nature occur throughout the tail, but are more severe as one moves distally. Injuries consist of fractured and healing neural spines with trauma typically occurring near the distal end; some with pseudoarthrosis formation above and below the pre- and postzygapophyses. Centra sometimes have deep cracks on one or both (typically) endplates; CT scans show similarly aligned disruptive trabecular bone, suggesting the centrum was split in two (or more) pieces resulting from a burst fracture and then healed back together. Centra fusions affect up to five (but usually two) adjoining centra, the mid and distal caudals being affected. Affected distal centra often demonstrate a swollen condition, anteriorly-placed neural arch (suggesting post-traumatic posterior elongation of the centrum), abnormal “diseased” bone texture, longitudinal keel on ventral midline, and other malformations. These vertebrae are sometimes fused together at angles indicating the tail healed with the tip kinked up or off to one side. Some specimens suggest extreme distal tail infection and amputations or sloughing. Rare tumors are reported in caudal vertebrae (Rothschild et al., 2003) but none affect Albertan specimens.
Albertan hadrosaur material offer great potential for future multidisciplinary studies in paleopathology. The Royal Tyrrell Museum is the World’s largest repository of these and other pathologic dinosaur specimens.