Oh man, I think I can remember that back when I was a little thing reading the weekly DINOSAUR magazine.

You didn't even click the link did you? It's rapid burial not rapid fossilization. The time needed for a skeleton/bone to fossilize is dependent upon which material the fossil is composed. Some materials can be passed through the substrate quicker than others. Some substrate will allow the particular material to pass through quickly which preserves more detail.

Why comment with statements? Why not ask questions of someone on the boards that can point you in the direction of the relevant information? Why try to insert an uneducated willfully ignorant post?

Let's research fossils together. I'll pass you a link and then you can give me one, but honestly please don't just insert your opinion devoid of supporting evidence. Iruka is sharing with us her favorite fossil. Show a little decency if you want some shown to you.

Here is a site that show several different ways that fossils are formed play each game (the question marks) and it will give you a much better insight into paleontology.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/dinosaurs/making_fossils/

Thanks for the link, josh. I'll have to look into it.

Yes, it's very obvious that the Protoceratops and Velociraptor were instantly buried during a struggle. I'm not terribly familiar with the mechanics of fossilization, but I'd like to learn more. Your link is a good start.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to scout a new fossil find near Madera, California. The fossils were from the Pleistocene, approximately 100,000 years ago. Very obvious was a huge mammoth tusk poking out of the ground. Also found at the site were mastodons, camels, a horse and other well-known creatures from that time period.

The thing I remember most about the site was the odd color of the fossils. They were an almost phosphorescent purplish white! And they were extremely fragile, crumbly even. I have no idea what minerals caused the fossilization or why so many Pleistocene animals were found in the same spot. Bone beds can have many different causes.

I might point out that bone beds make evolution absolutely obvious. We didn't find any dinosaurs in that bone bed. Why? California was under water during the Mesozoic. Any fossils from the Mesozoic would probably be common fishes of the time, along with various types of marine mammals and--perhaps--pterosaurs that died in the water. I'm not sure, but I don't think California has any Mesozoic fossil finds because nothing from that time period is poking above ground. I don't know this for sure. I'll have to look into it.

Of course, Pleistocene animals are never found in Mesozoic bone beds, either. In fact, we know which dinosaurs were contemporaries of one another by dating the rocks in which the fossils are found.

Protoceratops was representative of the forerunner of ceratopsian dinosaurs like Triceratops, Zuniceratops, Centrosaurus, Chasmosaurus, etc., which flourished during the late Cretaceous. The dinosaur most representative of the ancestor of animals like Protoceratops was Psittacosaurus (meaning "parrot reptile" hehe). On a related note, the new dinosaur find was probably an ancestor of Centrosaurus.

Newmodelatheist: I would urge you to engage your curiosity a little. I almost get the feeling you view fossil finds as a threat simply because they exist. Once I was able to put religion behind me, I became very interested in natural history. 99.99999999% of all life that has ever existed on our planet is extinct and all of it is endlessly fascinating.

For example, our good friend the Velociraptor was almost certainly a feathered creature. Velociraptors are dromaeosaurids: those wicked, speedy dinosaurs with the large sickle-claws on their feet. Dromaeosaurids ranged in size from about the size of my parrot to Utahraptor, a nine-foot-tall giant. (Megaraptor was probably not a true dromaeosaurid.)

How do we know dromaeosaurids were feathered? Well, there is a remarkable quarry in the Liaoning Province in China that has preserved the outline of feathers on many dinosaur finds. A feathered dromaeosaurid named Sinornithosaurus was uncovered there, as well as cute little Microraptor, a dromaeosaurid that had flight feathers on its arms and legs! Microraptor most likely eked out a living by gliding from tree to tree.

Here is a wonderful artist's conception of Microraptor:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microraptor <--More

Wow, Iruka, thank you for all these pics. They're absolutely gorgeous. 

I want a pet Microraptor!!!! DAMN, they're cute!