ISTANBUL / KAYSERI

Miniature replicas of 7.7-million-year-old giant animal fossils discovered in central Türkiye are being produced using polymer clay and 3D scanning and printing technology, as experts work to preserve and restore the original remains at the Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality Science Center.

The replicas are being prepared for display at the Kayseri Paleontology Museum, which is currently under construction. The process begins with artist Hatice Colak shaping the figures by hand using polymer clay. The models are then digitally scanned, reproduced with 3D printers and painted for exhibition.

Anthropologist Omer Dag said excavations around the Yamula Dam in Kayseri province stand out from other fossil digs in Türkiye because of the presence of megafauna, or fossils belonging to giant animals.

“The site contains megafauna -- fossils of giant animals,” Dag told Anadolu.

He said fossils belonging to ancestors of several species have been uncovered, including elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, saber-toothed tigers and hollow-horned animals. Dag noted that the fossils are well preserved and show minimal deformation.

Dag said cleaning and conservation work on the fossils has been completed, while mounting is still underway. Once construction of the Paleontology Museum is finished, the original fossils will be put on display.

Alongside the restoration work, researchers are also producing scaled-down replicas of the ancient animals to help visitors better visualize the massive creatures.

“We are also trying to create a miniature version of this giant fauna. We will show these smaller examples to our visitors as well,” Dag said.

Miniatures of animals such as giraffes, elephants, saber-toothed tigers and rhinoceroses are currently being produced, he said.

“Our modeler carefully shapes miniature versions with polymer clay with the precision of a sculptor,” Dag said, adding that the figures are then scanned and reproduced using 3D printers, making the process faster and more efficient.

He said the miniatures could also be sold at the museum’s gift shop once it opens.

Dag stressed that while the replicas are being produced on a smaller scale, work is continuing to mount the fossils in their original size. He added that the museum plans to display additional paleontological materials beyond the fauna found in Kayseri.

Among them is a 3D-printed replica of a Tyrannosaurus rex, whose original fossil is exhibited in Paris and whose replica is housed at the MTA Martyr Cuma Dag Natural History Museum in the capital Ankara.