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inexperienced fossil hunters like himself and headed to the Badlands of eastern Montana, where the largest numbers of T. rex and Triceratops have been found. "I had no real knowledge of how to find dinosaurs, but I have a pioneering sort of personality," he says. "I'm the kind of guy who intentionally gets lost in the mountains just to explore." After researching the most promising areas to find bones, they chartered a plane and diagramed the area via GPS. On the ground, they negotiated short-term leases with ranchers who owned the land. For weeks they hiked the vast terrain peppered with "rattlesnakes, rocks and scrub," searching for bone fragments poking up from the ground. The Badlands' dry terrain is covered in sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils that have been eroded by wind and water, making it easier to spot fossils and bones. A geologist assists them now, and it takes months to unearth specimens once a site is identified; bones can be scattered over hundreds of feet, and it's not unusual for a specimen to be reconstructed from multiple sites. The conditions are dirty and often miserable, with temperatures swinging from frigid to sweltering. Many more months are devoted to identifying, cleaning and prepping bones (Theropoda now has a paleontologist who manages their lab), but the effort is worth it. During their first season in the field, the team unearthed a Triceratops Clockwise from top: Exquisitely renovated choir loft, decorated by the owner. Church exterior facing Fairmount Street. Second level overlooking the sanctuary. Roosevelt, a 65- to 68-million-year-old T. rex. APRIL | PAGE 33 | 2016 and the holy grail of dinosaurs: the T. rex. Valued at just under $2.4 million, Roosevelt is one of about 56 T. rex specimens discovered since the species was identified in 1905. One of the most complete mounted T. rex specimens currently on exhibit, it's assembled from 45 percent original bone (from three different sites). It's also one of only three known T. rex skeletons in private hands, says Tommy Heitkamp, a former natural history department manager at the L.A. offices of auction house Bonhams. Heitkamp came on board with Theropoda in 2012 and now oversees its field operations. "Everyone has heard of Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops," he says. "On the open market, material from these animals enjoys a premium. They are the most sought-after dinosaurs and only appear in a handful of geological formations, which means there is limited ground and a lot of people looking for them." Because of this, Theropoda (nomenclature for a suborder of dinosaur that means "beast foot") focuses on lesser-known species that draw excitement from the scientific community. Among their recent discoveries is a mummified Ankylosaurid with preserved skin, keratin and possibly muscle. "Ankylosaurids are incredibly rare in North America," Heitkamp says. "We've had a few paleontologists fly to Montana to look at it, and they are unable to confidently identify the species, meaning it may turn out to be a new species entirely after more study." Other discoveries include a partial Centrosaurus — possibly the first discovery of the genus in the United States, he says. They're currently working on a site that contains more than 11 juvenile Gryposaurs, an unusual species of the common duck-billed dinosaur. Most of their digs are in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota; in an average season, Theropoda explores 100 sites. Heitkamp attributes the team's discoveries to an eagerness to investigate the most remote spots. "Our success has come from thinking outside the box and not always trying to follow what other companies are doing and where they're looking," he says. "We want the complicated skeleton of a dinosaur you've never heard of, 120 feet up on a cliff." In their quest, they dig deeper and for a longer time than the competition, he says. A paleontologist who traveled to one of their digs was astonished at the massive quarry they'd dug. Says Heitkamp: "[The paleontologist] told me, 'There's not a museum or university in the world that would dig a hole this big for a dinosaur.' But that is the hole in which the Ankylosaur was discovered." T heropoda Expeditions is relocating its entire collection of dinosaur skeletons, skulls, fossils and bones from a remote Montana warehouse to the church on Fairmount. The shipment will include a juvenile T. rex skull reconstructed from 94 percent original bones from a single animal — one of the most complete ever recovered. Plans are to turn the former church's front rooms with their two-story ceilings into the first dinosaur showroom in the world. "The Dallas market," says Theropoda's owner, "makes sense. There's a large stable of natural history buyers here." The city's location is also easily accessed by wealthy collectors and museum officials who can't (or won't) travel to the middle of nowhere to buy a fossil. By now you're probably asking the same question I did: What's going to happen to the dinosaurs once the church sells? They'll be disassembled and moved to an 8,000-square-foot building nearby. At $8.4 million, properties like the 106-year-old church aren't quick sales. "We expect it to be a long process," says Crawford. "It's not a mansion in Highland Park." Still, he's gotten nibbles from a segment of the market looking for unusual office space, including people in fashion, marketing and advertising, lawyers, the energy business and a few billionaires. The building's owner says he bought it "without a firm idea of what I was buying it for. I just fell in love with it and wanted to take on the project of renovating it. It's really a contrast to have the dinosaurs in the church, and I moved them there partly for selfish reasons — I just love being around them." The choir loft and pulpit, converted to meeting spaces.