Opal-filled fossils reveal timid, dog-size dinosaur that lived down under

FoxNews.com/Science ^ | Jan 17, 2019 | Laura Geggel Senior Writer | LiveScience

[ETL]

When Mike Poben, an opal buyer and and fossil fanatic, bought a bucket of opal from an Australian mine, he was surprised to find to find what looked like an ancient tooth in the pile.

Later, he also found a fossilized jaw piece — one that was shiny and glistening with opal.

After showing the two opalized specimens to paleontologists in 2014, Poben learned that they were part of a previously unknown dog-size dinosaur species, a new study finds. This dino lived about 100 million years ago in Australia, back when the landscape was lush and dotted with lakes.

The fossils originally came from a mine in Wee Warra, near the town of Lightning Ridge in New South Wales. The mine's amazing name gave the paleontologists an opportunity that was too good to pass up, so they named the newfound Cretaceous-age dinosaur Weewarrasaurus pobeni. ..."

"Occasionally, a bone from a land animal, like a dinosaur, would wash out to sea" and fossilize, Bell said. There, they may encounter silica minerals in the water, the solution that makes opal. Sometimes when these bones fossilized into rock, these minerals would accumulate in the fossils' cavities, laying down opal. Other times, if the organic bone was still present, these silica minerals could take its shape, preserving its internal structure as opal, according to Geology In, a news site focused on Earth sciences.

[ETL]

Considering that all we have are fossils, and that the teeth appear to be from a herbivore, I’m not certain how the “scientists” can come to the conclusion that the behavior is “timid” and “gentile.” There are modern herbivores that are neither timid nor gentle.

Reminds me of a couple scenes in Jurassic Park, where the "expert" (paleontologist) assures the kids that they have nothing to fear from the herbivores because they are plant eaters. Meanwhile, most herbivores today will attack under various circumstances.

[Fresh Wind]

Because the critter was small they decided it was timid? Has anyone ever known a timid Chihuahua?

[DUMBGRUNT]

That looks more like the work of a low budget Craig’s list tooth technician, also does butt enhancement.

[SunkenCiv]

This topic was posted 01/17/2019, thanks ETL.