作者
David J Varricchio, Anthony J Martin, Yoshihiro Katsura
发表日期
2007/6/7
期刊
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: biological sciences
卷号
274
期号
1616
页码范围
1361-1368
出版商
The Royal Society
简介
A fossil discovery in the mid-Cretaceous Blackleaf Formation of southwest Montana, USA, has yielded the first trace and body fossil evidence of burrowing behaviour in a dinosaur. Skeletal remains of an adult and two juveniles of Oryctodromeus cubicularis gen. et sp. nov., a new species of hypsilophodont-grade dinosaur, were found in the expanded distal chamber of a sediment-filled burrow. Correspondence between burrow and adult dimensions supports Oryctodromeus as the burrow maker. Additionally, Oryctodromeus exhibits features of the snout, shoulder girdle and pelvis consistent with digging habits while retaining cursorial hindlimb proportions. Association of adult and young within a terminal chamber provides definitive evidence of extensive parental care in the Dinosauria. As with modern vertebrate cursors that dig, burrowing in Oryctodromeus may have been an important adaptation for the rearing of …
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DJ Varricchio, AJ Martin, Y Katsura - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: biological …, 2007