Why is this dinosaur a cast while the other fossil bones on display in Dinosaur Hall are mostly real? The bones of the other dinosaurs in our exhibits are much stronger than the bones of the new oviraptorosaur. The new dinosaur's bones are so fragile that they would not hold up to being mounted for display. Recreating the dinosaur as a cast allows CMNH scientists to study the real – and extremely fragile! – fossils in a safe environment, while still allowing us to mount the dinosaur for display in our exhibit.

Contrary to what many people believe, only a few dinosaurs are known from essentially complete skeletons. This oviraptorosaur is no exception – it is known from two specimens, neither of which is totally complete. However, each of these incomplete skeletons includes some bones that are not preserved in the other. These dinosaurs belong to the same species because the bones they have in common are nearly identical. These two specimens were combined to create the single oviraptorosaur skeletal cast on display.