Digging Dinosaurs: The Search That Unraveled the Mystery of Baby Dinosaurs

Possibly the most exciting dinosaur event this century was the discovery of the remains of nests, eggs, babies and juveniles of the hadrosaur family at the Willow Creek anticline in central Montana. In this book, paleontologist Jack Horner, who uncovered these treasures in 1978, takes us along to the dig, where he continues to work today; his coauthor is science writer James Gorman, who followed Horner through a season's excavations. Further exploration indicated that the hadrosaurs nested in colonies, traveled in herds and were probably warm-blooded. For the first time, scientists had evidence of dinosaur family and social life. After telling how he found the first site, Horner guides us through the landscape of 80 million years ago, painting a vivid portrait of dinosaurian life; he offers a plausible explanation of how the group at this location perished. Dinosaur buffs will revel in these discoveries. Photos and line drawings. BOMC alternate. (Dec.)