A Scientist Chiselled Into a Dinosaur Skull From Alberta — It Had a Fleshy Comb Like a Rooster

Ancient Canada reveals one of the strangest dinosaur discoveries ever made in Alberta: a duck-billed dinosaur preserved with a fleshy comb on top of its head, something scientists had never seen before in any dinosaur. The fossil came from the Red Willow River region of northwestern Alberta. A sandstone block that had fallen from a cliff contained an articulated dinosaur skeleton with large areas of skin still preserved. While paleontologist Phil Bell was carefully chiselling rock away from the skull, his tool suddenly passed through something that was not stone or bone. It was preserved skin. Sitting above the skull was a thick soft-tissue structure with no bone inside it — a fleshy crest resembling the comb of a rooster. Until this discovery, every known dinosaur crest had been supported by bone. Nothing on the skull itself suggested that this structure had ever existed. CT scans confirmed that the crest contained no bone and simply rested on top of the skull. Researchers suggested that, like the colourful combs and wattles of modern birds, it may have been used for display, recognition, social status or attracting mates. The discovery also revealed a major problem with how dinosaurs are reconstructed. Soft structures such as combs, wattles and skin displays usually disappear completely after death. If the skin on this individual had not survived, scientists would have reconstructed it with a smooth, plain head just like countless other dinosaurs known only from bones. For years, the specimen was identified as Edmontosaurus regalis. But a new study published in 2025 examined previously unprepared parts of the skull and concluded that it does not match either known species of Edmontosaurus. For now, researchers refer to it as the “Red Willow animal,” an unnamed close relative whose exact identity is still being studied. In this video, we explore how a chisel accidentally revealed the first known fleshy dinosaur comb, how soft tissue survived for more than 70 million years, what the crest may have been used for, and why this discovery suggests that many dinosaurs may have looked far stranger than their skeletons reveal. #AncientCanada #CanadaHistory #Dinosaurs #PrehistoricCanada #Paleontology ⚠️ Some visuals are illustrative. Certain materials may be used under Fair Use for commentary and educational purposes. Sources and references are listed at the end of the video.