Dinosaur den diggers discovered.

The 95-million-year-old bones are from an adult and two juveniles and were unearthed in a chamber at the end of a 2.1m-long sediment-filled tunnel.

The researchers say the discovery is the first definitive evidence that some dinosaurs dug dens and cared for their young in such structures.

Details are reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

They were found in Montana and also give a good hypothesis that smaller dinosaurs may have taken advantage of harsher climate areas. They have been given the name Oryctodromeus Cubicularis meaning “digging runner of the lair” - sinister and cool sounding, really. The bones would be placed in the middle Cretaceous - the Cenomanian stage. It would have been a herbivore about 2 meters long and weighing in at 50-70 pounds. It’s a close relative of the orodromeus.

The tunnels they found originally would have seemed to big for the dinosaur to fit into - but really, a lot of modern day animals fit into small tunnels to prevent bigger predators from invading. They Oryctodromeus would have had strong forearms and robust shoulders used to dig… and sort of like the raptors in JP would have used its snout to push the dirt out of the way or loosen it.

This find has unearthed a behaviour that was never seen in dinosaurs before, and betters the theory that dinosaurs were much more nurturing to their young then previously thought.

(This new discovery has also led to my discovery of a new/cool dino blog. where i stole my picture from. wiiicked.)

Also - it has been discovered that plate tectonics may have been “well underway” 3.8 billion years ago - I wasn’t really aware that this was up for a whole lot of debate - and really, makes a whole lot of sense.

Scientists have identified an expanse of rock in Greenland as a remnant of Earth’s crust dating back 3.8 billion years, a finding that shows the dynamic geological process called plate tectonics was occurring early in our planet’s history.

…

Earth is about 4.5 billion years old. Scientists have debated whether plate tectonics was taking place early in Earth’s history or merely in the second half of its history.

Because the Greenland rocks appear to have been formed in a characteristic mechanism of plate tectonics — the spreading of the ocean floor as plates move apart — they indicate that this important geological process was well under way 3.8 billion years ago.

You know what still bothers me… That creationists would look at this post and just laugh. yarg.