Dinosaur Stakeout by Judith Silverthorne Page B

Daniel took note of the horny beaks and large eyes protruding from their smallish heads. They must have come to the freshwater sea to quench their thirst, as they usually lived in the ­forest.
    “My goodness, I can’t believe my ­eyes – ­ Thescelosaurus, ” Mildred spoke at ­last.
    Daniel nodded. He’d seen examples of Thescelosaurus on his last trip and had recognized them ­then.
    “The only traces of a dinosaur heart that’s ever been found came from one of them. They discovered it in a fossilized chest cavity down in South Dakota. It was ­four-­chambered, so they think they were ­warm-­blooded creatures, although some scientists more recently have challenged this theory.”
    “Wow!” said Daniel, looking at them with renewed interest. “I didn’t know that.”
    “I’m not too surprised to see that they lived around here, I just wonder why we haven’t come across any fossils of them so far.” She poked Daniel. “Get out the camera.”
    As quietly as he could, Daniel fished the camera out of his backpack and handed it to Dr. Roost. He’d let her do the picture taking, while he kept watch. So far, they were only seeing relatively harmless herbivores and ­bird-­like creatures. Not that Daniel was complaining. And although they’d only been here less than a couple of minutes, he knew he had to find a safe vantage point for them ­soon.
    Daniel kept watch for ­ Borealosuchus – ­ huge ­ crocodiles – ­behind them, but he knew from experience that it was hard to distinguish them from the fallen logs on the beach and those draping into the water. If something moved suddenly, they’d have to make a run for it. They’d have to keep their eyes skyward too. He peered into the redwood forest several hundred yards ­away.
    Normally, he would have made his way to one of the trees that he could climb to safety, but now that he had Mildred Roost to consider, he’d aim instead for a huge clump of cycads. Not the best choice, but at least some ground cover would protect them from sight. They had some dangerous patches to cross before they would get to the nesting Edmontosaurus . Would they make it there ­unscathed?
    For the moment, danger seemed far away and he felt the thrill of being back in this marvellous world. And this time he had someone with him who understood what they were seeing and who might even be of help to ­him.

Chapter Eight

    B ack down the beach, Daniel saw the Thescelosaurus turning away from the sea and heading back into the trees. A flock of pterosaurs scooped fish out of the shallow water some distance away. To their left, creatures that looked like a cross between a loon and a huge duck crowded onto the shore on their bellies like penguins. They only seemed to be able to move by digging into the sand with their legs and pushing like a sea turtle. They obviously couldn’t ­fly.
    Daniel became mesmerized as he watched some of them plough rapidly through the water with sharp leg strokes. They dove underwater, using long jaws filled with many tiny teeth to grab at schools of fish. Their feathered bodies were sleek with long legs and webbed feet. While they scanned the depths, they ­floated.
    “They’re ­ Hesperornis-­ like,” Dr. Roost said in his ear. “Look at their small wings. At most, they might use them to make turns while swimming under water, but see how they seem to rely on slowing down and using sideward strokes of their legs.”
    Daniel nodded. “And look at how their legs stick out – perpendicular to their bodies!”
    “Definitely ­peculiar-­looking!” Mildred Roost ­concurred.
    Daniel chuckled quietly. “But then almost everything’s really strange here!”
    Dr. Roost gave a snort of agreement and snapped several more photographs. Daniel pulled his attention away and looked around for some way of marking their location on the beach. He wanted to be sure they could come back to their landing spot when they were ready to go back to their own time, so