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Submitted: August 5, 2010
Image Size: 171 KB
Resolution: 1071×716

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Digging for Dinnerby *EWilloughby

Digital Art / Drawings / Animals

This is an illustration of a new discovery involving fossilized scratch marks, presumably from the foot claws of a maniraptoran, at the entrance to an ancient primitive mammal burrow.

The scratched-out burrows provide a unique insight into both the behavior and diet of these dinosaurs, which must have occasionally dug out the burrows of their prey, like many modern predators do. This trace fossil was found in Utah and is dated at around 80 million years old, which means the claw marks could belong to several different small dromaeosaurs or troodonts. I've illustrated the dromaeosaur Saurornitholestes here, which was similar in size and anatomy to Velociraptor. The findings were published in the journal Geology.

All of the news articles I've seen describing this finding have included pretty crappy illustrations, so I was inspired to create my own. I may also send it to the authors of the paper.

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~palaeorigamipete Feb 27, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Amazing picture! I feel sorry for the mouse!

~MugenSeiRyuu Nov 6, 2010

Just like a chicken...seriously, chickens do that aswell, although being smaller, they usually dig for worms and bugs...

~TrevelyanL85A2 Sep 12, 2010

Very nice job

~JD-man Aug 14, 2010

Quoting yourself: "All of the news articles I've seen describing this finding have included pretty crappy illustrations, so I was inspired to create my own. I may also send it to the authors of the paper."

I concur: you're illustration is WAY better than anything else I've seen having to do w/"this finding". There's just 1 thing that I don't understand: how is it that there are 4 claw marks w/3 close together & 1 far apart? Many thanks in advance.