Re: dinosaur nesting behaviour

["Allan Edels" <edels@email.msn.com>]

    Horner believes that the herd of hadrosaurs (_Maiasaura_) kept the
majority of the predators away but the sheer number of individuals (At one
time he estimated 15,000 individuals [Maiasaurs] died at the nesting site
{due to mudslides from a volcanic eruption}) and by cooperating.  Also, the
nesting site was on dry land near the inland seaway, but the area may have
had part of the site blocked by very hilly terrain.

    The _Orodromeous_ were found on "Egg Mountain", which was an island in
the inland sea, with a seasonal land bridge to the island from the shore.
The bridge may have been partial obscured by water at all times - but the
_Orodromeous_ knew where to walk - and when.

(The island may have been in a protected cove of the sea).

    Allan Edels
-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Akins <lra_raptor@hotmail.com>
To: ahsaidin@tm.net.my <ahsaidin@tm.net.my>
Cc: dinosaur@usc.edu <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Date: Saturday, March 28, 1998 3:24 AM
Subject: Re : dinosaur nesting behaviour


>
>
>
>>Extant birds, such as birds, create nesting colonies on isolated
>islands as
>>protection against predators . Did hadrosaurs build their nesting sites
>on
>>islands or dyr land, and if on dry land , how did they protect the eggs
>or
>>infants from predators ?
>>
>
>Well at the Egg Mountain site in MT the Hadrosaurs had their nesting
>colonies on dry land, close to the Interior Seaway (I think). I'm not
>really sure how they protected their nests though. I do know that they
>were pretty close together (1 body length between nests).  That may have
>helped protect the nests a little. I think the eggs were covered with
>vegetation, so that would give some protection as well as warmth.
>There is also a colony of _Orodromeous_ or _Troodon_ and they nested on
>an island in a shallow lake, so they were pretty well protected I
>believe.
>I'm no expert yet so if I said something wrong please correct me.
>
>Larry Akins
>
>"Quit Honking, I'm Reloading"
>
>
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