Wired magazine reports that a Hadrosaur mummy has been found with mineralized skin and possibly muscles and tendons intact.

In an apparently unique series of steps the dino died and its body was preserved in a mineral rich soup that managed to preserve it faster than the body could decay.

Nicknamed Dakota, the hadrosaur is one of only five naturally preserved dinosaur mummies ever discovered. Unlike previous dinosaur mummies, which typically involve skin impressions pressed into bones, Dakota’s entire skin envelope appears to remain largely intact.

“The skin has been mineralized,” said Manning. “It is an actual three-dimensional structure, backfilled with sediment.”

The team believes that the discovery is extremely important to discovering more about how the dinosaurs lived. They’ve brought in the best science and technology that’s available including a specialized CT scanner that Boeing built for NASA to study the creature’s remains. For example:

So far, they have determined that the hadrosaur’s hindquarters are 25 percent larger than previously thought for the species, meaning that it could run up to 28 mph — faster than previously estimated. They have also discovered that the specimen’s vertebrae, which museums commonly stack together, are actually spaced 10 millimeters apart. The result, Manning said, implies that scientists may have been underestimating the size of hadrosaurs and other dinosaurs.

Time will tell and your moderator try to watch this one closely.