Fighting Dino Fossils
Amongst all the fossils ever found in the world, there might be nothing more bizarre than this specimen. One Protoceratops, a herbivorous (plant-eating) dinosaur, perished in the struggle with a carnivorous theropod, Velociraptor. After their death 80 million years ago, both skeletons were fossilized, then finally unearthed in 1971 in fully articulated forms without having been smashed.
The reason why they fought with each other is not known. Protoceratops might have been defending its nest from the predator, or the two creatures might have encountered accidentally, but all we can do is build speculations and guesses about them.
Both dinosaurs have similar sizes. Velociraptor is grabbing the head of Protoceratops with its forearms. Also sickle claws of its hindlegs seems to have torn out the throat and belly of Protoceratops. This posture is sometimes compared to that of a linx (bob cat) leaping attack against a prey. On the other hand, Protoceratops is biting Velociraptor at its right forearm so deeply that the predator could not have moved.
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jose velaquez said,
February 8, 2006 at 1:58 am
hey did dino really exsist……..
not1word said,
February 11, 2006 at 12:12 pm
How exactly did they both die, remain in that posture, and become burried quickly enough to fossilize, all the while managing not be be scanvenged into bits and pieces?
Granty said,
February 25, 2006 at 8:20 pm
not1word, fossils can form quickly or slowly as long as the cause of death doesn’t decay the bones of the animal. Dinosaurs can also be found in there natural positions provided there cause of death is sudden or confines the dinosaurs movement like a landslide or sandstorm. Some mammoths have even been found perfectly preserved in ice, with food still in there moths, indicating that they died quickly and unexpectedly.
johnsee said,
February 26, 2006 at 7:40 am
“Some mammoths have even been found perfectly preserved in ice, with food still in there moths, indicating that they died quickly and unexpectedly.”
I saw The Day after Tomorrow Too :D
Granty said,
March 2, 2006 at 9:53 pm
hahaahah, i forgot all about The Day After Tomorrow
This came from a Geology text book.
But thanks for pointing that out Johnsee