By SHOICHI NISHIKAWA/ Staff Writer
January 29, 2021 at 07:00 JST
A full-scale replica of the Mukawa-ryu dinosaur can be rented from Mukawa, Hokkaido. (Provided by the Mukawa Development of Industry and Nature Organization)
MUKAWA, Hokkaido--A museum here is offering free rentals of a full-size skeletal replica of a newly discovered dinosaur, but delivery and assembly will cost a few bones.
The Mukawa Development of Industry and Nature Organization (M Dino), a trading house that handles local specialties and tourism packages, is responsible for the rental service, while the dinosaur model is kept by Mukawa town’s Hobetsu Museum.
“I want the dinosaur to help break through the stifling ambience deriving from the new coronavirus outbreak,” an official of M Dino said.
The reproduction of Mukawa-ryu, whose remains were unearthed in 2003 in Mukawa, is 7.8 meters long and 3.2 meters tall. The town created the replica using 22 million yen ($210,000) raised through a crowdfunding drive.
Mukawa-ryu dates back 72 million years during the Cretaceous Period. It was confirmed as a new genus and species of hadrosaur, and was officially named Kamuysaurus japonicus in 2019.
The plant-eater is the largest among all dinosaurs whose complete skeletons have been unearthed in Japan.
The Hobetsu Museum in September exhibited the replica in the municipality, attracting residents and dinosaur fans. It began the free lease program to publicize the town and Mukawa-ryu.
Renters will need to cover delivery and installation fees, which are estimated at 2.2 million yen in Hokkaido and 4.5 million yen in Tokyo and Osaka, according to the museum.
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