Dinosaur dinosaurs provide new details about climate change in ancient times

Following the discovery of the first dinosaur cave in Montana, the paleontologist Anthony Martin from Emory University found evidence of many other dinosaur caves - this time on the other half of the Earth, until Victoria, water Australia.

This finding will be published in Cretaceous Research this month. It shows the burrowing action in dinosaurs of various species, living in different Earth regions, and lasts for millions of years during the Cretaceous period, when some dinosaurs lived in the polar regions. Earth.

'This study helps us better understand geological changes, and how organisms adapted when Earth went through global warming or cold periods,' Martin said.

In 2006, when working with colleagues from the University of Montana and Japan universities, Martin identified the bones of an adult dinosaur and two small children in a fossil cave in southwestern Montana. Later, this dinosaur was named scientific Oryctodromeus cubicularis.

The researchers hypothesized that, besides being a place to take care of newborn dinosaurs, these caves also help some dinosaurs withstand harsh environments.

A year after the discovery in Montana, Martin went to the Victoria coast. The Victoria White Cretaceous stratum contains the largest collection of dinosaur bones in the world according to records.

Emory painter Anthony Martin from Emory University has found evidence of dinosaur caves in Victoria, Australia. (Photo: Emory University copyright)

During his journey into a remote area of ​​Melbourne called Knowledge Creek, Martin was surprised to see firsthand the fossils of a dinosaur cave almost identical to the cave he discovered in Montana.

The cave was identified in the early Cretaceous etch, and was 6 feet long and 1 foot in diameter. The cave entrance leads down to a spiral-shaped road, and ends with a large cavity. Later Martin found two more fossils of similar fossils in the same area.
The final stage of the global warming period

Fossils discovered in Victoria were probably formed 110 million years ago, when Australia was separated from Antarctica, and the dinosaurs went in the long polar darkness, then along the delta large in southern Australia today. It was one of the last times Earth experienced global warming, with an average temperature of about 680F - hotter than today.

However, during the winter in the polar region, the temperature may drop below freezing. Previously, the researchers hypothesized that small dinosaurs in this region survive through harsh climates by hiding under large tree roots or in valley valleys. However, Martin's findings suggest that they may have dug deep into the soft soil on the banks of rivers flowing from the valley.

Considering the lifespan, the size and shape of the caves, Martin hypothesized that they were dug by tiny bird-foot dinosaurs - a common herbivore in this area at the time. This dinosaur stands upright on its hind legs and is about the size of today's great iguanas.

'It is interesting to find evidence that dinosaurs that have nothing to do with each other share a common behavior,' Martin said. 'This discovery helps us better understand the evolutionary path of dinosaurs and the ways they have been used to combat harsh environments.'