More than 2,000 volunteers are chiseling away at rock surrounding the bones of a Mastodonsaurus at Warsaw's Copernicus Science Center, participating in what may be one of the most ambitious citizen-science projects in paleontology. The nearly complete skeleton, unearthed in southern Poland 3 years ago, represents the first Mastodonsaurus ever found in such well-preserved condition—and it's substantially larger than any other known specimen of the species.
The fossil restoration unfolds in a glass-walled laboratory on the center's ground floor, where visitors watch volunteers work methodically through two-hour sessions. Armed with chisels, brushes, and protective goggles, these citizen scientists separate bone from surrounding rock millimeter by millimeter using pneumatic chisels. Ultraviolet light reveals precisely where bone ends and stone begins, ensuring accuracy in the painstaking process.
What's striking is the volunteer composition. These aren't trained geologists or paleontologists. Instead, managers, cleaners, and tattoo artists have stepped forward after receiving training and protective equipment. Tatyana Kozyk, the volunteer coordinator, captured the significance of the work: "I imagine that those bones were lying underground for 240 million years and I am the first human on earth to touch them."
The Discovery and Its Scale
Tomasz Sulej, a paleontologist and professor at the Institute of Paleobiology at the Polish Academy of Sciences, led the 2023 discovery alongside colleague Wojciech Pawlak from Warsaw University's Faculty of Geology. The skeleton weighs 1,300 kilograms—nearly 2,865 pounds—and measures nearly six meters, or 20 feet, in length. When restoration concludes, it will be the largest Mastodonsaurus skeleton exhibited in any museum worldwide.
No other known Mastodonsaurus skeleton approaches this size. Other specimens discovered in Germany and Russia measure only 2 to 3 meters, or 6½ to 10 feet, long. This dramatic size difference means the restored skeleton promises to fundamentally reshape scientific understanding of the species. "The structure of the body is different from what we knew so far," Sulej explained. "This is information that is completely new to the scientific world."
Ancient Predator, Modern Insights
The Mastodonsaurus inhabited Earth roughly 240 million years ago during the Middle Triassic period, when the earliest dinosaurs were just beginning to appear. This aquatic ambush hunter prowled ancient waters, preying mainly on fish and smaller amphibians. Scientists believe it possessed a broad, flat head, long jaws, and sharp conical teeth—features resembling a modern crocodile, though the creature belonged to an entirely different branch of the vertebrate family tree.
The restoration project is scheduled for completion in October or November, when the skeleton will be displayed at the Copernicus Science Center. Dorota Serafin, a 51-year-old Warsaw manager volunteering on the project, described the experience as "relaxing and philosophical, even mystical." She plans to return for additional sessions and bring her family to view the completed exhibit.
Sulej framed the discovery's broader significance beyond paleontology. "The Mastodonsaurus lived after the great extinction, which shows one thing, that nature always manages," he said. "It's not true that humans can destroy life on this planet. Nature and life always find ways to survive."
Why This Matters:
This restoration project demonstrates how citizen engagement can accomplish scientific work efficiently without requiring massive government funding or institutional overhead. The Copernicus Science Center has mobilized 2,000 volunteers—managers, cleaners, and skilled workers from various professions—to complete meticulous paleontological work that would otherwise require years of specialized staff time and significant budgetary commitment. The model shows that public institutions can achieve ambitious research goals by leveraging volunteer labor and creating transparent, educational experiences that benefit both the scientific enterprise and participating citizens. The project also illustrates Poland's capacity to conduct world-class paleontological research independently, positioning the nation as a significant player in prehistoric discovery without reliance on international consortiums or external funding mechanisms.