The North Dakota State Historical Society will get to keep an extremely rare mummified dinosaur on display at the state’s recently expanded Heritage Center after a pledging $3 million grant to its owner.

The Marmath Research Foundation, which owns the duck-billed hadrosaur fossil, will allow the fossil to remain on display in exchange for the grant, although there were offers from other locations.

A teenager discovered the fossil in 1999 on his uncle’s ranch in southwestern North Dakota near Marmath. A nearly complete fossil of a dinosaur with skin that has been preserved, unlike most other fossils that only have skin impressions in the surrounding rock, is an exceptionally rare find. It is believed to be 65 million years old.

Excavation of the fossil wrapped up in 2006, which preceded a significant amount of public attention from the likes of National Geographic and “Good Morning America.”

Under the terms of the deal, the State Historical Society Foundation has four years to raise the $3 million, although none of that total has been raised so far. Marmath Research Foundation has agreed to share some of its fossils for display at the Heritage Center and will be allowed access to its labs.

The Heritage Cetner remodeling and expansion cost the state $51.7 million. The renovation is nearl ycomplete, with a grand opening scheduled for Nov. 2, which would fall on the 125th anniversary of North Dakota statehood.

The main fossil piece weighs around 8,500. That figure increases fo 10,000 pounds when the separate tail and arm pieces are included.

The hadrosaur was a common herbivore from the Upper Cretaceous Period that lived in what is now Asia, Europe, and North America.

The State Historical Society believes that with this new deal, the fossil will remain at its current location forever.