LA County Natural History Museum Seeks Help Naming Dinosaur Fossil

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles County Natural History Museum announced Thursday that it's seeking the public's help in naming a green dinosaur fossil that will serve as a focal point in the museum's new wing.

Known as the Green Dinosaur, the fossil will be renamed via an online poll, asking voters to select from five names that were chosen by staff members, museum officials said in a statement.

After being excavated from what was a riverbed 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period, the green bones were recently packed in multiple crates and trucked to Ontario, Canada, according to the museum. The fossil had affectionately been known as Gnatalie for the gnats that pestered the scientists and volunteers while excavating it.

The long-necked dinosaur's unusual bone coloring is due to infilling by the green mineral celadonite during the fossilization process, museum officials said.

When the new wing, NHM Commons, opens this fall, the colossal skeleton will be the first green dinosaur skeleton to ever be mounted for public display.

The five names to vote on are:

Gnatalie: A nod to the quarry at which the bones of the dinosaur were found and the pesky gnats that were present;

Sage: It's green and an iconic L.A. native plant that is also grown in NHM's Nature Gardens;

Verdi: A derivative of the Latin word for green;

Esme: Short for Esmerelda, which is Spanish for Emerald; and

Olive: Olives are green, and the olive tree symbolizes peace, joy and strength.

Online votes can be cast from now until June 20 here.

City News Service