Baby Dinosaur Skeleton Is So Intact Scientists Can Tell How It Died

There are lots of dinosaur fossils discovered around the world and often they are only small remnants like a single bone or a tooth. A group of paleontologist working in Alberta, Canada discovered an incredibly complete fossil of a baby dinosaur that is described as being similar to a tiny rino.

The scientists say that the dinosaur was likely about 3-years-old when it died. The fossilized remains are so well preserved that they are shedding light on what caused the dinosaurs death millions of years ago. The dino belonged to a species known as Chasmosaurus belli, which is related to the Triceratops. The dino was horned and frill-headed.

It inhabited an area in southeastern Alberta about 70 million years ago. The fossil was discovered in the Alberta Dinosaur Provincial Park and the only parts missing are the forearms. Those broke off and fell into a sink hole under the dinosaur's remains.

The scientists say that the baby dinosaur also closely resembles its adult form. The fossil measures about 5-feet long while adults are 16-feet long. The remains show no bite marks, not even from scavengers after its death. The fossil was discovered in sediment of the type found in a river bed. This leads scientists to believe the dinosaur was wading in a river when it drowned and was covered by sediment.

SOURCE: io9