 |
|
Possible dinosaur burrows clues to survival strategies
July 16, 2009Internationally renowned palaeontologist and Monash University Honorary Research Associate, Dr Anthony Martin has found evidence of a dinosaur burrow along the coast of Victoria, which helps to explain how dinosaurs protected themselves from climate extremes during the Cretaceous period - the final era for dinosaurs before their extinction.
Dr Martin made the discovery of the 2 metre-long burrow in 2006 while researching dinosaur tracks at Knowledge Creek, west of Melbourne, and has had the findings published this week.
Three years earlier Dr Martin and his colleagues found a similar pre-historic "shelter" in Montana, USA where he identified skeletal remains of a dinosaur and two juveniles in a fossilised burrow.
Dr Martin said the burrows, the oldest identified on record, help to explain how dinosaurs managed extremes in climate, shedding more light on dinosaur behaviour and suggest that dinosaurs of different species, on different continents, in different hemispheres may have engaged in similar living habits.
"We knew that some dinosaurs may have cared for their young in burrows but the latest discovery can also suggest that dinosaurs may have used the burrows to shelter from the cooling and warming effects of the Cretaceous Period - a time of great climate transformation which ended in complete extinction of all dinosaur species," Dr Martin said.
The location of possible dinosaur burrows on the south coast of Victoria are from a time when Australia which was attached to Antarctica, and lay near the South Pole.
Dr Martin estimates the fossilised burrow is about 106 million years old when Antarctica and Australia were about to part company and a time when earth underwent global warming where temperatures climbed over past times. Even though the average temperatures on the globe may have higher by several degrees, Victoria still lay near the South Pole - and during winter temperatures likely plunged to below freezing, forcing the resident dinosaurs to seek shelter.
"Heat and cold meant that at least some dinosaurs needed shelter. We had thought they sought cover under trees, but the burrows indicate that some dinosaurs were adept at creating secure accommodation for themselves during times of stress."
The burrow, measuring two metres in length and 30 centimetres across, spirals down to a large chamber and is located in an outcrop a few kilometers from Dinosaur Cove - the site of popular dinosaur digs led in the past by Monash and Museum Victoria palaeontologists Professor Pat Rich and Tom Rich, also an honorary researcher in the School of Geosciences at Monash.
Professor Rich said the discovery is providing new insights in an ever-growing body of knowledge of these polar dinosaurs living at the extremes. "We have wondered for some time what these structures were and when Tony found burrows with dinosaur bones in them in Montana, he became suspicious that these structures in southern Victoria were of a similar nature. Now all we have to do is find the bones in them.
Dr Anthony Martin is currently researching and lecturing in Environmental Studies at Emory University, Atlanta, USA.
Monash University
Dr Martin said the burrows, the oldest identified on record, help to explain how dinosaurs managed extremes in climate, shedding more light on dinosaur behaviour and suggest that dinosaurs of different species, on different continents, in different hemispheres may have engaged in similar living habits.
"We knew that some dinosaurs may have cared for their young in burrows but the latest discovery can also suggest that dinosaurs may have used the burrows to shelter from the cooling and warming effects of the Cretaceous Period - a time of great climate transformation which ended in complete extinction of all dinosaur species," Dr Martin said.
The location of possible dinosaur burrows on the south coast of Victoria are from a time when Australia which was attached to Antarctica, and lay near the South Pole.
Dr Martin estimates the fossilised burrow is about 106 million years old when Antarctica and Australia were about to part company and a time when earth underwent global warming where temperatures climbed over past times. Even though the average temperatures on the globe may have higher by several degrees, Victoria still lay near the South Pole - and during winter temperatures likely plunged to below freezing, forcing the resident dinosaurs to seek shelter.
"Heat and cold meant that at least some dinosaurs needed shelter. We had thought they sought cover under trees, but the burrows indicate that some dinosaurs were adept at creating secure accommodation for themselves during times of stress."
The burrow, measuring two metres in length and 30 centimetres across, spirals down to a large chamber and is located in an outcrop a few kilometers from Dinosaur Cove - the site of popular dinosaur digs led in the past by Monash and Museum Victoria palaeontologists Professor Pat Rich and Tom Rich, also an honorary researcher in the School of Geosciences at Monash.
Professor Rich said the discovery is providing new insights in an ever-growing body of knowledge of these polar dinosaurs living at the extremes. "We have wondered for some time what these structures were and when Tony found burrows with dinosaur bones in them in Montana, he became suspicious that these structures in southern Victoria were of a similar nature. Now all we have to do is find the bones in them.
Dr Anthony Martin is currently researching and lecturing in Environmental Studies at Emory University, Atlanta, USA.
Monash University
Dinosaurs Current Events and Dinosaurs News RSSWarm-blooded dinosaurs worked up a sweat
Were dinosaurs "warm-blooded" like present-day mammals and birds, or "cold-blooded" like present day lizards? The implications of this simple-sounding question go beyond deciding whether or not you'd snuggle up to a dinosaur on a cold winter's evening.
A motley collection of boneworms
It sounds like a classic horror story-eyeless, mouthless worms lurk in the dark, settling onto dead animals and sending out green "roots" to devour their bones.
Central Africa's tropical Congo Basin was arid, treeless in Late Jurassic
The Congo Basin - with its massive, lush tropical rain forest - was far different 150 million to 200 million years ago. At that time Africa and South America were part of the single continent Gondwana.
The last European hadrosaurs lived in the Iberian Peninsula
Spanish researchers have studied the fossil record of hadrosaurs, the so-called 'duck-billed' dinosaurs, in the Iberian Peninsula for the purpose of determining that they were the last of their kind to inhabit the European continent before disappearing during the K/T extinction event that occurred 65.5 million years ago.
The humble beginnings of a king
Tyrannosaurus rex and related large carnivorous dinosaurs together form the family Tyrannosauridae. A long forgotten fossil skull in the collections of the Natural History Museum in London has now provided crucial clues to the early stages of the lengthy evolutionary history of these fearsome predators.
New dinosaur species from Montana
A husband and wife team of American paleontologists has discovered a new species of dinosaur that lived 112 million years ago during the early Cretaceous of central Montana.
New analyses of dinosaur growth may wipe out one-third of species
Paleontologists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Museum of the Rockies have wiped out two species of dome-headed dinosaur, one of them named three years ago - with great fanfare - after Hogwarts, the school attended by Harry Potter.
Galaxy cluster smashes distance record
The most distant galaxy cluster yet has been discovered by combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and optical and infrared telescopes.
Clemson researchers say algae key to mass extinctionss
Algae, not asteroids, were the key to the end of the dinosaurs, say two Clemson University researchers. Geologist James W. Castle and ecotoxicologist John H. Rodgers have published findings that toxin producing algae were a deadly factor in mass extinctions millions of years ago.
Do 3 meals a day keep fungi away?
The fact that they eat a lot - and often - may explain why most people and other mammals are protected from the majority of fungal pathogens, according to research from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
More Dinosaurs Current Events and Dinosaurs News Articles
 |
Dozen Jumbo Dinosaurs up to 6 inches long by Toy C Set of 12 realistic toy dinosaur figures. Dinos are made from slightly flexible plastic, are hollow inside. Set includes: Ceratosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Stegosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Tyrannosaurus, Spinosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Velociraptor, Apatosaurus, Euoplocephalus, Triceratops, Styracosaurus. |
 |
ZipBin Dinosaur Playset by Neat Oh ZipBin is more than great-looking storage. It's a portable play world that unzips to reveal space to play, create and imagine. And it's easy to clean up... in a zip! The Dinosaur storage bin's dramatic exterior theme identifies the contents and will look great in your child's room. When the bin is unzipped, it becomes a dinosaur island play mat, complete with a colorful island, a volcano, and oozing tar pit and a mysterious cave. When play is done, the play mat becomes the storage bin in a zip, capturing the toys inside. Includes four dinosaurs: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Saurolophus, Triceratops, and Compsognathus, 4-5" long. ZipBin measures approximately 16" x 13" x 9". |
 |
My Big Dinosaur Book (My Big Board Books) by Roger Priddy (Author) |
 |
Scientific Explorer's My First Dinosaur Science Kit by Scientific Explorer With My First Dino Kit, You're a real paleontologist! Use excavation tools to dig up a dinosaur skeleton and then classify and display your findings. Build a glow in the dark model, or grow and shrink some giant dinos, all while you learn about the prehistoric past. Did some dinosaurs have feathers? Are crocodiles as ancient as the dinosaurs? You'll find out. Ages 4+ adult supervision required. |
 |
Mattel SCREATURE Interactive Dinosaur by Mattel Your own prehistoric pal! Dare pet his head? More bite than roar! Can you master Screature, or will you be his prey? Lifelike and realistic with ferocious sounds, Screature uses an infrared sensor to sense and attack his prey with your help. If you can control Screature, he will respond loyally to your petting, but if you pet him in the wrong place, Screature attacks! Set him in room guard mode and Screaturewill guard all your prized treasures! Screature is a mean little predator with a big appetite. Try me, open tray package. 3x 'AA' batteries included, with minor assembly required. |
 |
Animal Planet's Big Tub of Dinosaurs by Hasbro It |
 |
First Dinosaur Encyclopedia by DK Publishing (Author) From the first sea mammals to fierce dinosaurs, this inspiring reference book takes children on a fantastic journey into the prehistoric world. |
 |
Dinosaurs - The Complete First and Second Seasons Starring: Bill Barretta, Kevin Clash, Tom Fisher, Dave Goelz, David Greenaway Directed By: Bruce Bilson, Jay Dubin, Mark Brull, Michael Jacobs, Patrick Johnson Meet the Sinclairs -- the funniest family in 60 million years! They're just your average family with one BIG difference. They're dinosaurs living the good life in sixty million and three B.C.! Daddy Earl his wife Fran their kids Robbie Charlene and the Baby and feisty Grandma Ethyl bring a hilarious Jurassic twist to daily life as they eat drink make merry and get their kicks watching cavemen rub rocks together. Based on an idea by Jim Henson the award-winning comedy series features state-of-the-art puppetry and audioanimatronics. For the first time you can enjoy the complete first two seasons and rediscover the pre-hysterical fun all over again.Bonus Features:Pre-Hysterical Times: The Making Of DINOSAURS -- Get a first-ever behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Henson's Creature Shop brought... |
 |
Melissa & Doug Dinosaur Stamp Set by Melissa and Doug Mix and match the 8-9 playfully detailed stamps to create hundreds of beautiful scenes, and then color in the pictures with the 5 colored pencils! Each themed set includes 2 colored inkpads. Ages 4+. Each set 8.75" x 8" x 2". |
 |
RoomMates RMK1043SCS Dinosaurs Peel & Stick Appliques by RoomMates DINOSAURS Decorative Wall Stickers (set of 4 sheets - 16 Jumbo stickers) . Self-stick, removable, and reusable Jumbo Wall Stickers are the easy way to decorate and won't damage your walls! It's so quick and amazing , just peel and stick! Jumbo Size: 4 sheets , 16 precut stickers. Decorate in minutes!! Easy to apply. Works best on clean, smoth, dust-free surfaces. Apply even pressure to entire sticker surface. 16 pieces of Peel & Stick technology will adhere to any smooth surface. Easily removable and repositionable. Washable with mild soap and sponge. Safe for use in all rooms including the bathroom. Decorating has never been so easy! Clamshell Packaging. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |