Sanajeh indicus & sauropod hatchling
       
     
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Sanajeh indicus & sauropod hatchling
       
     
Sanajeh indicus & sauropod hatchling

A tantalizing fossil discovery, including a partial snake skull and skeleton, provided reference for this reconstructed scene.  Paleontologist Jeff Wilson directed my work on this sculpture, for the species’ public debut and scientific announcement in 2010.  The diorama is a faithful 1:1 restoration of the specimen - a snake in a nest of sauropod eggs, looped around a crushed egg, with hatchling sauropod remains next to the broken egg. The very moment of predation seems to have been preserved in rock, as a sudden plug of sand from a flash flood smothered the animals in place.

Citation: Wilson JA, Mohabey DM, Peters SE, Head JJ (2010) Predation upon Hatchling Dinosaurs by a New Snake from the Late Cretaceous of India. PLoS Biol 8(3): e1000322. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000322

DSC06252.JPG
       
     
DSC08351.JPG
       
     
DSC08338.JPG
       
     
DSC06276.JPG