Great Falls Tribune Article link

Malta to premiere Discovery Channel feature on Leonardo
By KIM SKORNOGOSKI - Tribune Staff Writer - September 2, 2008

Leonardo - the world's best preserved dinosaur, not the "Titanic" heart throb - is the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary three years in the making. The one-hour film will debut at a special screening Sept. 6 in Malta, more than a week before it premieres on the Discovery Channel at 10 p.m. Sept. 14. Leonardo, who was discovered in 2000 on the Hammond ranch outside of Malta, is so well-preserved that even his last meal has been fossilized within his intestines. Scientists say his skin, joints and organs could reveal the answers to questions millions of years old.

Famed paleontologist Dr. Bob Bakker called the documentary one of the best, if not the best, dinosaur movies he has seen. The documentary features a familiar backdrop in the Hi-Line's badlands and research at the Dinosaur Field Station.

"There's a bajillion dinosaur shows out there. This one, the crew is really good and they took their time," Bakker said. "And they had a big enough budget to do some fascinating animation."

Bakker and other scientists have studied Leonardo since the duckbill was discovered. Bakker also is the curator of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which has created a special exhibit around Leonardo called "Dinosaur Mummy CSI: Cretaceous Science Investigation."

The exhibit opens to the public Sept. 19, with more than 1,000 advance tickets already purchased. The documentary gives Malta's new dinosaur museum and the Houston exhibit extra ‹ and free ‹ publicity.

Last week, a 35-ton crane operated by experts who move priceless art lowered Leonardo into his temporary home in Texas. Crews still are scrambling to paint silkscreen backdrops, write labels for elements of the exhibit and finish computer graphics.

In addition, the museum staff has spent 1,500 hours cleaning another Malta fossil named Peanut, who also will be featured. Over the next year, exact replicas of Peanut and Leonardo will be on display in Malta's Great Plains Dinosaur Museum, which opened in June, while the real fossils star in the Houston exhibit.

The Malta museum will receive a cut of ticket profits in Houston and it stands to make money from sales of the Discovery Channel film. Once the Houston exhibit closes, some portions of it will return to Malta while others will become part of a touring exhibit traveling to other major museums across the country. The touring exhibit will provide the Malta museum with a steady stream of income to help cover operating expenses. Tribune Staff Writer Kim Skornogoski at 791-6574, 800-438-6600 or kskornogoski@greatfallstribune.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2008
Canadian-Commissioned "Dino" Doc, Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy, Reveals Most Intact Dinosaur Remains Ever Found ­ Discovery Channel Canada/Discovery Channel U.S. Prep for Broadcast Event Simulcast, Sept. 14

-- Sneak peek at doc to be presented by Discovery Channel U.S. at Television Critics Association Press Tour today --

Beverly Hills, CA (July 10, 2008) ­ Leonardo was found in Montana almost fully intact, with 90 per cent of his body covered in skin. We even know what he ate for his last meal.  But what makes this discovery so impressive?  "Leonardo" is a 77 million year-old dinosaur ­ and what he reveals about his life and death is undeniably one of the most captivating cold cases of all time.  Discovery Channel uncovers what is unquestionably one of the most unexpected and important dinosaur discoveries of all time in a new one-hour high-definition special, Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy. Discovery Channel Canada and Discovery Channel U.S. will present this groundbreaking broadcast event in a North American simulcast, Sun., Sept. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Originally commissioned by Discovery Channel Canada, members of The Television Critics Association (TCA) will get a sneak peak at this highly-anticipated Canadian-produced documentary from MidCanada Entertainment and Myth Merchant Films when Discovery Channel U.S. unveils their fall programming highlights today during the TCA's annual summer press tour in Beverly Hills, CA.

"This fall, we'll unveil the Holy Grail of palaeontology in a one-hour event documentary" says Ken MacDonald, Vice President of Programming for Discovery Channel Canada. "The story of the forensic investigation of a dinosaur body ­ the fully intact Dinosaur Mummy ­ is nothing short of jaw-dropping."  

Discovered in 2000 by a team of amateur palaeontologists exploring Malta, Montana, Leonardo ­ named for graffiti found near his burial site ­ is the first dinosaur mummy ever found with intact digestive tract contents. With this once-in-a-lifetime finding, scientists now have more than just bones to fully reconstruct how dinosaurs looked and lived.  From the cause of death to Leonardo's last meal, scientific tests provide far more detail than the team of scientists ever expected.  Skin impressions and actual fossilized samples of the digested food still inside the viscera, plus skin and joints, allow the team to create the first reconstruction of a giant dinosaur, accurate both inside and out.  

Leonardo is a young Brachylophosaurus, a four-legged, plant-eating, duck-billed dinosaur, the very first juvenile of the species discovered with extensive skin.  He was approximately three to four years old when he died and would have been over six metres long, weighing about 900 kilograms.  

From high-tech testing of Leonardo's remains, scientists have positively identified what a plant-eating dinosaur ate ­ something that has never been done before.  Leonardo's last meal consisted largely of leaves which included ferns, magnolias and conifers.  Additional analysis has confirmed at least 40 different types of prehistoric plant pollen preserved in his stomach.  Since most dinosaurs were herbivores, this find is an incredibly important step in learning more about the creatures' lives on the planet.  

Another finding that was only possible due to Leonardo's intact remains is the strong evidence for a crop. Modern plant-eating birds have crops to aid in the digestion process, but there was no evidence of the possibility that dinosaurs may have also had crops until Leonardo was unearthed.  This startling discovery has led to new theories of how these creatures lived.  

Leonardo will be on display at The Houston Museum of Natural Science in a specially created exhibit ­ Dinosaur Mummy CSI: Cretaceous Science Investigation ­ beginning September 19, 2008.

Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy is directed and written by Michael Jorgensen and produced for Discovery Channel by MidCanada Entertainment and Myth Merchant Films. Wayne Sheldon is executive producer and Kevin Dunn is producer for MidCanada Entertainment. Carrie Gour is executive producer and Michael Jorgensen is producer for Myth Merchant films.   Discovery Channel:
Bold and leading edge, while informing and entertaining, Discovery Channel is Canada's leading source for factual programming, as it puts a new spin on exploring adventure, science and technology. This award-winning channel covers the scientific beat, from animals to the animalistic side of humanity, from the sea to space, and the latest in innovation. TV Trends and Quality (TVQ) Survey consistently ranks Discovery Channel Canada first among all English-language Canadian specialty networks for overall quality of programming. Discovery Channel is one of the first Canadian specialty channels to offer programs in HDTV and its production house, Exploration Production Inc. (EPI), continues to be internationally recognized as a producer of cutting-edge programming with distribution to more than 150 countries. The channel's Web site may be found at DiscoveryChannel.ca .

For more information:
Jodi Cook, Discovery Channel ­ 416.332.4426 or jcook@discovery.ca
Kevin Dunn, Producer, Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy ­ 905-304-9512
Michael Jorgensen, Producer/Director, Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy ­ 780-974-9889

TCA: Discovery Takes Wraps Off Dinosaur Mummy

77-million-year-old dinosaur mummy, nicknamed 'Leonardo,' stars in Discovery Channel's upcoming Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy.By Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/10/2008 2:35:00 PM

Beverly Hills -- The prize for the most enthusiastic presenter at the summer meeting of the Television Critics Association here so far goes to Dr. Robert Bakker, who will be featured in Discovery Channel's upcoming Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy.

The visiting curator of paleontology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science raved about the importance of the 77-million-year-old dinosaur mummy, nicknamed "Leonardo," at the heart of the one-hour, HD special scheduled to premiere Sept. 14. The corpse is the first intact dinosaur mummy ever found and still has 90% of its skin intact. "This is the holy grail in paleontology," he enthused.

For more on Discovery click here.

Discovery's Got Guts... Dinosaur Guts
BONES Paleontologist Dr. Robert T. Bakker of "Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy" reveals the fossilized remains of Leonardo the dinosaur have 90% of his skin intact.

Presenting Thursday morning at the Television Critics Association, a panel for Discovery Channels film Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy chronicles the find of Leonardo, a largely intact dinosaur found inMontana, and what his body tells about the environment he lived in 77 million years ago.

Robert T. Bakker, visiting curator of paleontology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, displaying big beard and cowboy hat, said this find confirms beliefs that dinosaurs werent slow, dumb, 60-ton turkeys. Its a complicated dinosaur with a complicated society, he said.

He said his team had found not the smoking gun, but the smoking stomach and smoking intestines. Leonardo was found with nearly 90% of his skin intact, and had his last meal in his stomach. Based on the food found in Leonardos stomach, Mr. Bakker and his team can extrapolate what was the world Leonardo lived in, punctuated in the film with CGI scenes of Leonardo and his family.

Leo's stomach contents paints this beautiful picture and the world that he lived in, said Michael Jorgensen, producer from Myth Merchant Films.

A clip shown during the panel seemed hyperbolic in its declaration that the find of Leonardo is the biggest discovery ever in dinosaur research, but Mr. Jorgensen said he believes the hype. I really believe that after this, itll be pre- and post-Leonardo, he said. Viewers can unearth Leo when Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy premieres Sept. 14 at 9 p.m.

Andrew Krukowski

Joe Iacuzzo
Leonardo Project Manager
joe@mummydinosaur.com
702.685.8335
702.808.1609 cell

Discovery Channel to Unveil the 'Holy Grail' of Paleontology in  'SECRETS OF THE DINOSAUR MUMMY' 

SILVER SPRING, Md., July 10, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----'Leonardo' was found in Montana almost fully intact. Ninety percent of his body is covered in skin. We know what he ate for his last meal. What makes this so impressive? Leonardo is a 77 million year-old dinosaur. Discovery Channel reveals what is unquestionably one of the most unexpected and important dinosaur discoveries of all time in the one-hour high-definition special SECRETS OF THE DINOSAUR MUMMY, premiering Sunday, September 14 at 9 PM (ET/PT).

Discovered in 2000 by a team of amateur paleontologists exploring Malta, Montana, Leonardo -- named for graffiti found near his burial site -- is the first dinosaur mummy with intact digestive tract contents ever found. With this once-in-a-lifetime finding, scientists now have more than just bones to fully reconstruct how dinosaurs looked and lived. From the cause of death to Leonardo's last meal, scientific tests provide far more detail than the team of scientists ever expected. Skin impressions and actual fossilized samples of the digested food still inside the viscera, plus skin and joints, allow the team to create the first reconstruction of a giant dinosaur, accurate both inside and out.

"Discovery Channel has obtained exclusive access to what promises to be an extraordinary development in the history of paleontology -- a high-tech exploration deep into the body of a dinosaur that lived 77 million years ago," said John Ford, president and general manager of Discovery Channel. "It's a privilege to be able to document the amazing discoveries made possible by this perfectly intact dinosaur and share them with our viewers."

Leonardo is a young Brachylophosaurus, a four-legged plant-eating duck-billed dinosaur, the very first juvenile of the species discovered with extensive skin. He was approximately three to four years old when he died and would have been 20 feet long, weighing about 2,000 pounds.

From high-tech testing of Leonardo's remains, scientists have positively identified what a plant-eating dinosaur ate -- something that has never been done before. Leonardo's last meal consisted largely of leaves which included ferns, magnolias and conifers. Additional analysis has confirmed at least 40 different types of prehistoric plant pollen preserved in his stomach. Since most dinosaurs were herbivores, this find is an incredibly important step in learning more about the creatures' lives on the planet. Another finding that was only possible due to Leonardo's intact remains is the strong evidence for a crop. Modern plant-eating birds have crops to aid in the digestion process, but there was no evidence of the possibility that dinosaurs may have also had crops until Leonardo was unearthed. This startling discovery has led to new theories of how these creatures lived. Leonardo will be on display at The Houston Museum of Natural Science in a specially created exhibit -- Dinosaur Mummy CSI: Cretaceous Science Investigation -- beginning September 19, 2008.

SECRETS OF THE DINOSAUR MUMMY is directed and written by Michael Jorgensen and produced for Discovery Channel by MidCanada Entertainment and Myth Merchant Films. Wayne Sheldon is executive producer and Kevin Dunn is producer for MidCanada Entertainment. Carrie Gour is executive producer and Michael Jorgensen is producer for Myth Merchant films. For Discovery Channel, Paul Gasek is executive producer.

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications is the world's number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Company (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

For more information and artwork, please log on to www.press.discovery.com