Dinosaur Stakeout

by Judith Silverthorne

  “I thought you were dead or something. You weren’t moving.” Daniel wiped the sweat out of his eyes. His heart thumped against his ­chest.

  “Of course not, I was resting,” the old man said, rubbing his ­eyes.

  “Couldn’t you hear me calling?” asked ­Daniel.

  Pederson stared at Daniel. “I was underneath the overhang, out of the sun. I couldn’t hear anything. It was so peaceful and quiet. And if you must know, I was having a rather pleasant dream.”

  The Nelwins had arrived on the hill directly above them. Daniel waved to them. He tried to calm himself, relieved that Mr. Pederson was all ­right.

  “But where’s Dr. Roost?”

  Pederson waved his arm. “Off exploring somewhere. Last time I saw her, she was heading over that rise.” He pointed to a distant ­hill.

  The Nelwins joined them then and Pederson gave them a genial ­welcome.

  “Until I explain everything to you, please stay outside the ­tied-­off areas,” he said, rising to his feet and brushing dust off his pants. “You’ll see how tiny some of our discoveries are in a moment, and one footstep can make all the difference in destroying some prime finds.”

  He guided them to a particularly rocky plateau nearby. “This is what we call a microsite and this is what we find here.”

  In less than a minute, Mr. Pederson picked up several kinds of specimens, so small that they all fit into the palm of one hand. He pointed to each of them. “Small mammal teeth, ear bones, several leaf fossils and plant seeds, bits of turtle shell, crocodile armour, salamanders, tiny vertebrae from garfish, and Triceratops teeth.”

  “Sheesh!” Craig bent over for a closer inspection. “You can tell what all of these are?”

  “Yes, lad!” Pederson said with confidence. “Comes from years of practice.”

  Todd crowded in for a closer look. “I can see why you don’t want us stepping all over the place!” he ­said.

  Pederson ­nodded.

  “Sir, how do you know where to look for these kinds of areas, and the bigger fossils too?” asked ­Craig.

  “We go on ‘prospecting’ tours,” Pederson explained. “We usually do exploratory trips through the hills in teams of a couple of people so we don’t miss any spots.”

  “But how can you tell dinosaur bones from rocks?”

  Pederson laughed. “Actually we look for shapes, textures, and things that don’t look like stone. With practice you get an eye for it, don’t you Daniel?”

  “That’s right, sir!” Daniel said. He’d been doing it as long as he could remember. “And by taste!”

  Daniel picked up a small stone and then a piece of fossilized bone from Mr. Pederson’s hand. He demonstrated the difference between them by touching the stone to his ­tongue.

  “See, the stone is solid in the centre and doesn’t stick, but…” he removed the stone from the edge of his tongue and replaced it with the fossil, which stuck fast. He tried to explain. “The bone thiks to ur tung.”

  He removed the fossil. “Bones are porous, that’s why it sticks.”

  “Cool,” said Craig. “Would we be able to go prospecting sometime?”

  “We won’t be doing anything like that for quite a while. We have plenty to excavate right here,” Pederson answered. “Although I suppose it’s something special we could consider offering to the public too. I’m not sure we could do it this year.”

  Then he saw the disappointed look on the boys’ faces. “We’re rather booked up with tours, especially for the rest of the summer, but maybe after that we could work it in somehow, if you’re still keen.”

  Craig’s eyes shone with interest. Todd shrugged his shoulders, as if it didn’t matter to him one way or the ­other.

  “It would be cool to discover something!” Craig said. “Would it be named after us?”

  “Could be.” Pederson laughed. “And now for the macrosite where all the big fossils are located.” He turned to Daniel, his eyes twinkling in excitement. “You’ll want to take a look at this too. I uncovered something new today.”

  Pederson led them over to his excavation area first, where several ribs poked out of the ground. As he explained how he had uncovered them, Daniel looked closer. There were several more bones exposed, over to the right of the ones found earlier. They were inverted and not in line with the ­rest.

  “This skeleton is disarticulated, which in scientific terms means the bones are scattered,” explained Peders-on. “The skeleton is in a former riverbed and the current has washed it downstream, which caused it to come apart.”

  He led them over to Daniel’s ­section.

  “This lad here,” he patted Daniel’s shoulder, “uncovered these teeth, which we know are from a herbivore. These are important, because they are probably part of the skeleton from over there and that’s what helps us identify it.”

  “Why do you think that?” asked ­Craig.

  Pederson explained. “As the carcass of any animal rots, the teeth often come apart from the jaws. With the water velocity of the river 65 million years ago, these teeth were probably separated from the body.”

  As Craig and Todd stood mesmerized, Daniel beamed with pride at his findings. He remembered how thrilled he’d been discovering pieces from a much larger ­creature.

  Pederson continued. “All we can do is hope that most of the skeleton is here in the vicinity to help us identify it more accurately.”

  “Do you have enough yet to know what this one is?” Craig ­asked.

  “Just those pieces are not enough to go on.” Then, with a gleam in his eyes, Pederson pulled a tarp off a section and stepped back to reveal a much larger bone partially protruding from the ground. “But this is what I found so far today.”

  Daniel moved closer and stared. A partial skull! Without thinking about the others possibly following him and the restrictions they had for staying behind the ropes, he went closer to examine it. Sinking to his knees, he examined the skull more closely. He touched the dark brown contours, running his hands over the huge, rough, sunken eye sockets. If it was what he thought it was, this would be the first one found in ­Saskatchewan.

  “Stygimoloch. Maybe,” Pederson said, hardly able to contain ­himself.

  Daniel whooped! His guess had been right. “Wow! Really?”

  Pederson nodded. “I’m reasonably sure.”

  “Does Dr. Roost know?” Daniel asked, wondering about her ­reaction.

  “No, lad, I wanted you to see it first. I wouldn’t let her peek.”

  Daniel felt his body swell with pride. Mr. Pederson was treating him like an equal, a colleague! Daniel felt a huge grin spread across his ­face.

  Pederson turned to include the Nelwins. “We always suspected that Stygimoloch would have been in this area too, but so far they’ve only been found across the border in Montana and in Wyoming. If this turns out be one, it will prove they lived here too.”

  The Nelwins seemed entranced as Pederson explained that the creatures were ­unusual looking, with bony spikes and bumps on their skulls. “We’ll have to find more of the skeleton, and do some research, examinations, and comparisons to be certain if this is really one.”

  Then Pederson turned to them and warned, “You’re the first ones to hear about this, so you’ll need to keep it a secret for the time being. Can you do that?”

  Todd and Craig nodded in ­agreement.

  “When will it become public knowledge?” asked ­Craig.

  “Depends on how much of the skeleton we find and what we can prove once it’s excavated.”

  “How long will that take?” Todd ­asked.

  “Again, that will depend on what we find and how difficult it is to ­extract – ­whether there’s a great deal of rock and topsoil, and whether it’s spread over a wide area or not. We could have it out as early as the end of this summer, which is what I hope, but it most likely will take longer. Even several years.”

  “So we have to keep it secret for a long time?” Craig ­asked.


  “That’s one of the hardest parts about ­paleontology – ­keeping the information from the public until we know for certain,” Daniel said, knowing from ­experience.

  His excitement at finding fossils always took over his reasoning, and he wanted to broadcast it to everyone right away. Already, Daniel could hardly wait to tell Jed and Lucy, and the rest of their families, what they had found. But that would have to wait until they had more evidence. Several of the Lindstrom family members had a difficult time keeping secrets, Jed included. And the Stygimoloch was an important find that would bring lots more tourists to their site. No point in letting the immediate group know too far ahead in case they slipped with the information when visitors came. They didn’t want anyone leaking information that might be ­wrong.

  “We can discuss it amongst ourselves here and let the rest of our group know back at the house once we have verified it,” Pederson ­confirmed.

  Staying on their farm depended on the success of their dinosaur tourist camp and the excavation site operation. If they didn’t make a go of it, Daniel knew they’d have to leave and he would be far removed from the paleontology that he loved. This discovery was an exciting bonus to their findings and would be sure to keep them on the ­farm.

  And all at once, Daniel realized how much he wanted to return to the prehistoric past. Going there again would be an exceptional opportunity to explore, and maybe he’d even see a live Stygimoloch. He didn’t recall coming across any of them when he’d accidentally travelled back before. But then he’d been too intent on surviving and hadn’t stuck around to look for much of anything. Now his thoughts had turned to the possibility of going on a deliberate exploration of the world of dinosaurs. He had an almost sure way of going and coming back. All he had to do was plan it ­properly.

  Daniel hardly listened as Pederson said, “Finding something interesting is one thing, but getting it out is another.” He indicated the shovels and pointed to the lofty ­hill.

  “Why is it done like that?” asked Craig, staring at the wide, square levels cut progressively into the hillside like a huge set of stairs. Each step was about a metre square and about thirty centimetres ­high.

  “It keeps the wall solid as we excavate,” Pederson said. “If we had a sheer face, there would probably be some slippage and breaking off, which would bury what we’ve already uncovered in the fossil bed below. This way, we can contain it and also have a more convenient way of getting up and down.”

  Mr. Pederson said. “Most paleontological work is pure hard digging. You only get to work around actual fossils with the smaller tools about ­one-­third of the time.” He turned to Craig and Todd. “So, boys, what do you think so far?”

  Todd’s enthusiasm seemed to diminish with the mention of all the digging, but Craig seemed keen. “Where do you want us to start?”

  As Mr. Pederson directed the Nelwins’ digging, Daniel sidled off with a hasty wave goodbye. He quickened his steps across the pasture, almost forgetting how tired and sore his legs were from all the walking he’d done that day. He’d suddenly remembered that he hadn’t checked his computer at all that day. He and Mr. Pederson were expecting some ­e-­mailed photographs of Roxanne, the Edmontosaurus that Mr. Pederson had found and they had excavated ­together.

  Members of the staff at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum field station in Eastend were preparing the skeleton, under the direction of Tim Tokaryk, the head paleontologist there. Some breakage on the left hindquarter had been evident, which might help explain why Roxanne had ­died.

  His legs ached as he mounted the stairs to his bedroom. When he looked in the mirror, he could see the sweat stains and the streaks of dirt on his face and neck. Time for another shower! Better yet, a long soak in the tub was what he needed. But that would have to wait. He turned on his computer, started his ­e-­mail account, and searched for one from the Royal Saskatchewan ­Museum.

  There it was! Quickly, he opened it. The museum staff had sent three photographs of the left hindquarter breakages of the Edmontosaurus skeleton from different angles and distances. There was also one of Roxanne’s skull, which showed a fracture, and another showing where she had suffered a break in one of her forearms. He studied the photographs for a few ­moments.

  They’d sent an explanation that suggested that the leg and hip bone breakages suffered by the Edmontosaurus probably were serious enough to cause her to starve to death. None of the fractures had healed at the time of her death, according to their findings. This coupled with the discovery of a nest with fully developed embryos and some newly hatched babies, suggested that they had all died about the same ­time.

  Daniel felt sadness welling up inside him. Because the mother hadn’t been able to fend for herself and feed her young, they’d all died. He thought of an injured female Edmontosaurus that he’d come across on his last trip back to prehistoric time. This must be the same one! Wait until he told Mr. Pederson. If only he could prove ­it.

  The more he thought about confirming his observations, the more he realized how important it would be if he could actually go back and do some other investigations as well. One thing he’d have to take was some kind of marker system, so he’d be able to return to the same ­spot.

  Wait! What was he thinking? It wasn’t safe to go! But a quick trip couldn’t be that bad, could it? The opportunity was there with the pine cone. He could go back one last time. He wrestled with the idea, his thoughts whirring like a hamster racing on a treadmill. He made a decision, and then changed his mind again. Should he really go back in time? He looked again at Roxanne’s skeleton images. He had to know ­more.

  In that moment, Daniel made the firm decision to go back to the past. He’d photograph the Edmontosaurus family! He’d gather everything he needed over the next few days, and when there was a lull with the tourists, he’d go. With Dr. Roost here, Mr. Pederson would be occupied and not notice his actions quite so ­much.

  He started a new Word file and began a list of what he’d need to take. Camera, flashlight, compass, water, ­food – ­how much and what should he take? He’d leave that for the moment. A hat, backpack, good running shoes, bug spray, suntan lotion, a dinosaur research book, and his Swiss Army knife sounded like a good start. He’d add more to the list later, although he probably didn’t need to take ­much – ­he was only going to be gone several ­minutes.

  He added a few more ­things – ­waterproof matches, a notebook, pens, pencils, tape measure, extra batteries for the flashlight, adhesive tape, and a whistle. He didn’t want to rely on whistling with his fingers, if he were in danger. He might not be loud enough to scare away any of the prehistoric ­creatures.

  His list was getting long, and he hadn’t even written down the food and clothing he’d need, nor any of the tools. Besides, why was he planning to take so much stuff, if he was only going to be gone a short time? Might as well be prepared, he decided. He didn’t even want to think yet about how he’d survive against any dinosaur attacks. He’d figure that out ­later.

  Daniel was so preoccupied with his plans that he didn’t even notice Pederson and Dr. Roost return from the dig and slip out of the yard a while later. He did his chores with the Nelwins mechanically and ate his supper in a haze, going through the usual motions for the rest of the evening. His mind was a kaleidoscope of ideas that kept him tuned out from the rest of his ­surroundings.

  Before bed, Daniel ran a nice, full, hot tub of water, adding some Epsom salts. He sank gratefully into the soothing bath, staying there until the skin on his fingers shrivelled and the water cooled. Then he dressed in his pyjamas and crawled into bed, pulling a sheet around himself. The overhead fan whirled a slight breeze over him from the window. The evening was hot and the sun was just setting. He didn’t care. He’d already been up for too many busy hours. Plans for going back in time spun through his mind. But exhaustion finally overtook him, and moments later he slipped into ­sleep.

  Chapter Five

  By the time Daniel dre
ssed and made it downstairs the next morning, Ole Pederson was there again, sipping coffee at the kitchen table. He and Dad were going over the list of visitors for the day. Apparently Dr. Roost had already been and gone from the ­house.

  The Nelwins arrived at the door a few minutes later, knocking timidly. They shuffled in when Mom invited them to join the family for breakfast and sat ­self-­con-sciously at the table, but soon relaxed when everyone began eating. Daniel noticed that the Nelwins seemed more polite and comfortable when his mom spoke to them. He remembered hearing that they had lost their mother several years ­before – ­it must be hard for ­them.

  Today it was bacon and eggs for breakfast and this time the Nelwins didn’t wait to be offered seconds. They’d probably had to do their chores for their dad before they came ­over.

  Todd ate with his head down, not saying a word, and Cheryl watched him, fascinated. Finally he noticed and looked up. Cheryl laughed and plunked a crust from her toast on his plate. For a moment, Todd looked flustered, then he broke into a grin and ate the toast. Daniel saw his mom and dad exchange a small ­smile.

  “Ed, I think we’re going to need some ­walkie-­talkies to communicate between the dig and the house,” Mr. Pederson suggested with an expressionless face. “Whist-ling doesn’t always work, as Daniel and I found out yesterday.”

  Daniel sat ­stone-­faced. He hadn’t mentioned the scare Mr. Pederson had given him the previous afternoon. Daniel was grateful that the Nelwins had kept quiet ­too.

  “Being able to let Mr. Pederson know we’re coming ahead of time would be helpful, Dad.”

  “Well, how about I give you my cellphone to use at the site, Ole? Doug and I will share his until we have a chance to shop for some ­walkie-­talkies.”

  “I’d rather not use one of those contraptions,” said Mr. ­Pederson.

  Mom interrupted with another suggestion. “I think the kids are getting worn out from making so many trips to the quarry anyway. Could we send them with slightly larger groups at more definite times?”