BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — The North Dakota Geological Survey (NDGS) is currently working on preparing an ancient fossil of a dinosaur to eventually display at the North Dakota Heritage Center.

The fossil found is of a duck-billed dinosaur that was first discovered in 1999 on a hillside near Marmarth, North Dakota. NDGS acquired the fossil in 2008 and it was later moved to the Heritage Center for paleontologists to prepare for display.

About 66 millions years ago, long before the grain fields of today dotted the landscapes of North Dakota, these dinosaurs roamed among vast stretches of swamps and lands marked by dense forests.

“They were plant eaters. The reason they are called duck-billed dinosaurs is they have a beak in the very front of their mouth that they could use to snip off vegetation,” explained Clint Boyd, NDGS Senior Paleontologist.

Dakota’s tail tip is currently on display at the Heritage Center. After closely examining the fossil, scientists hypothesize that when the dinosaur was alive, Dakota may have been bitten by a medium-sized predator.

“The main predator for this animal would be a T-Rex. They didn’t have horns or claws or anything like that, so for protection they lived in very large herds kind of like modern bison do,” said Boyd.

Although only the tail tip is on display along with Dakota’s right arm and left foot, paleontologist’s continue the tedious task of preparing the main part of the dinosaur’s body for future display.

“It’s going to be several years yet before we get it finished and before the main body block can go on display, we’re probably going to have to do a partial revamp of the main geological time gallery because that’s going to be the only place it’s going to fit at,” said Boyd.

Boyd says it will take some time for his team to continue preparing the main body of the fossil.

“Dakota’s had about 20,000 hours of work that has gone into cleaning it up and we got about eight to 10,000 more hours before we finish work on it, and hopefully have it up for display before the end of the decade,” said Boyd.

Once the fossil is complete, people will get a little more insight into the life of an animal that once roamed our same area, but on an entirely different terrain.

To see the fossil pieces that are currently on display and learn more about the life that Dakota once lived, you can visit the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck.

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