How It Works-Book Of Dinosaurs

Amber is

fossilised tree

resin that, due

to a chemical

change after

burial in the

ground, turns

into a solid. Despite its stable state

today, when the majority of the

Earth’s amber formed, it was far

more fl uid, which means many little

organisms unwittingly became stuck

within it – including plant matter and

insects. Today these appear frozen

within the amber and have been

perfectly preserved. While one or

two studies in the Nineties claimed

to extract DNA from these organic

inclusions (as portrayed in Jurassic

Park), more recent research suggests

this isn’t possible. Scientists at the

University of Manchester using

advanced DNA sequencing in 2013

were not even able to fi nd traces of

DNA in copal (a precursor to amber)

only 10,000 years old, so they’re very

doubtful that dino DNA could have

survived from millions of years ago.

Dinosaur bones are one of a
palaeontologist’s greatest sources of
information, supplying data about
their age, anatomy, distribution and
much more. The bones of dinosaurs
can only be found if they went
through the process of fossilisation,
where the tissue of the creature
dissolves and gets replaced with
minerals under pressure beneath the
ground. Finding and extracting these
fossilised bones is a major challenge
for palaeontologists, with a carefully
planned out dig site essential.

Dinosaurs, much like the

many species of animal

alive today, communicated

in very different ways.

From complex dance-like movements

to more obvious calls and scent

markings, each dino marked their

territory, warned of potential predators

and relayed information regarding food

in its own unique way. One of the most

interesting examples comes in the form

of the hadrosaurid (above), a duck-billed

dinosaur family sporting a distinctive

bone crest on their heads. These crests

were used as a resonating chamber for

projecting their calls. Considering the

hadrosaur’s modest size and its wide

range of predators, the ability to

amplify its calls was no doubt a

valuable defensive mechanism.

Amber & dino DNA

Bone secrets

Communication in focus

“Certain

kinds of

excavation

and study

out in

the fi eld can be for

palaeoecology, trying

to reconstruct food

webs and modes

of locomotion, or

they can be about

looking at patterns

over time, going up

metre by metre in

rock formations and

analysing fossil groups

to see how they change”

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD

A to Z of dinosaurs

Boundary

As soon as the fossil has

been confi rmed, a

boundary is staked,

protecting the area so

palaeontologists can

work unhindered

Extraction

The fossil is cut from

the surrounding rock

and removed piece by

piece, with each one

meticulously labelled

Packed up

The fragile specimens

need to be transported

with great care, with

fossils placed in

padded containers

Analysis

At the research

lab, the fossil can

be studied in

depth, with laser

scanning revealing

in-depth detail

about the dinosaur

To ols

Clearance is achieved

with chisels, hammers

and spades. The closer

to the fossil the more

delicate the tools

Cleaning

When the fossil is freed

from the rock, a painstaking

process of cleaning follows

Discovery

Most fossils are

discovered at fi rst

only in part, with

just a small

fragment visible

above the surface

Shooting in situ

Photography plays a crucial

part of any excavation. The

specimen is continuously

snapped from its discovery

right through to removal

Clearance

Once the fossilised bone

has been photographed, the

rock around it is carefully

cleared to allow better

access to the fossils