Mummified dinosaur had build of a sprinter

This undated artist rendering provided by the National Geographic Society shows the hadrosaur, nicknamed Dakota, as scientists believe it would have looked, based on their analysis of the fossil evidence so far. One of the most complete dinosaur mummies ever found is revealing secrets locked away for millions of years, bringing researchers as close as they will ever get to touching a live dinosaur.

? One of the most complete dinosaur mummies ever found is revealing secrets locked away for millions of years, bringing researchers as close as they will ever get to touching a live dino.

The fossilized duckbilled hadrosaur is so well preserved that scientists have been able to calculate its muscle mass and learn that it was more muscular than thought, probably giving it the ability to outrun predators such as T. rex.

While they call it a mummy, the dinosaur is not really preserved like King Tut was. The dinosaur body has been fossilized into stone. Unlike the collections of bones found in museums, this hadrosaur came complete with skin, ligaments, tendons and possibly some internal organs, according to researchers.

The study is not yet complete, but scientists have concluded that hadrosaurs were bigger and stronger than had been known, were quick and flexible and had skin with scales that may have been striped.

The fossil was found in 1999 in North Dakota and now is nicknamed “Dakota.” It is being analyzed in the world’s largest CT scanner, operated by the Boeing Co. The machine usually is used for space shuttle engines and other large objects. Researchers hope the technology will help them learn more about the fossilized insides of the creature.

But they have learned enough so far to produce two books and a television program. The TV special, “Dino Autopsy,” will air Sunday on the National Geographic channel (Sunflower Broadband channel 83). National Geographic Society partly funded the research.

A children’s book, “DinoMummy: The Life, Death, and Discovery of Dakota, a Dinosaur From Hell Creek,” goes on sale Tuesday, and an adult book, “Grave Secrets of Dinosaurs: Soft Tissues and Hard Science,” will be available in January.

Soft parts of dead animals normally decompose rapidly after death. Because of chemical conditions where this animal died, fossilization – replacement of tissues by minerals – took place faster than the decomposition, leaving mineralized portions of the tissue.

Because ligaments and tendons were preserved, as well as other parts of Dakota, researchers could to calculate its muscle mass, showing it was stronger and potentially faster than had been known.

They estimated the hadrosaur’s top speed at about 28 miles per hour, 10 mph faster than the giant T. Rex is thought to have been able to run.