Digging Dinosaurs: The Search That Unraveled the Mystery of Baby Dinosaurs

by Jack Horner, James Gorman

Recounts the author's search for evidence of baby dinosaurs in the badlands of Montana and his discovery of dinosaur nests and of two new species.

Genres: Science, Dinosaurs, Nonfiction, Palaeontology, Natural History, History, Geology

210 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1988

Reviews

[Alyson Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ for this joyous book! The author tells this story with such enthusiasm for the subject that it's infectious. I would normally find books about dinosaurs difficult to digest, but that isn't the case for this one. Published a good few years ago, so the theories involved within have moved on,even so, this is a really interesting read.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really great place to start if you want to know more about dinosaurs and paleontology and the only knowledge you have is watching the Jurassic Park movies. Horner talks about digging one formation over the course of several years and the discoveries made there that drastically changed how we think about dinosaurs and their young. I found this very scientific yet easy to understand. The relatively short length also made this very accessible. I now feel I have a good foundation of understanding what paleontology is really about.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In another life I would like to be a palaeontologist. I was obsessed with dinosaurs as a kid, as my 5 year old son is now, and they remain endlessly fascinating.

This is well written, interesting, entertaining and communicates well the excitement of such a big discovery.

[Tim Ganotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad had this book many years ago when I was young and crazy about dinosaurs. I remember being disappointed that it didn't have many pictures in it. Now I'm older, still crazy about dinosaurs, and finally getting to read this, and not as disappointed about the lack of illustrations. This is one of the first (if not THE first) Jack Horner books from the 80s dino craze. Clearly written, very informative, all the tough science-y stuff explained clearly, a fantastic book. I can see why it was such a popular book, full of information on a strange career (fossil hunting) but extremely readable. Wonderful. Wish it were twice as long.

[Trinity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is informative and keeps your attention from start to finish. It’s a story told without unneeded jargon, but doesn’t dumb itself down too much either. It hits a sweet spot with an intriguing tale about a man, his life and discoveries and of course, about dinosaurs. The pictures and diagrams added another great aspect for explaining concepts in a clear way without being overbearing, and they were used a tasteful amount to not distract from the text either. This book gives a lively and interesting picture into the life of a paleontologist and the defining discoveries made by Jack Horner and his team.

[Sarah Aibel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, and he does a great job of making a paleontology nonfiction difficult to put down. When I finished I was so sad it was over! Great read.

[Mark Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, with good, basic explanations for non-geologists and non-paleontologists. Also a rags-to-riches story of Jack Horner who started out as just a preparator (technician) at Princeton, who nonetheless had a lot of paleontological knowledge, and ended up the discoverer of dinosaur eggs and nests. There was certainly some luck involved, as he readily admits, buts it's also the kind of luck that favors the prepared mind.

[Joi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars because his writing is easy to understand and he is clear about what are his ideas versus accepted science. (Note however since the book was originally written in the late 1980's, some of his hypothesis are now accepted as theories.)

I'm now ready to volunteer for a dig!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Horner at his best, pre-Jurassic Park. The stuff about Maiasaurus herds and parenting is fantatastic. A wonderful read.

[Crosby · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting look at the early field work of one of America's most prolific dinosaur excavators. It clearly illustrates how the elements of both luck and experience are important in producing the most successful scientists. For someone completely new to the field, the book explains how the age, diet, family social structure, size, habitat, etc can all be deduced by careful observation and recovery of fossils. The patience and attention to detail is necessary for the scientific success of a paleontologist but that same set of skills does not always translate as well into writing. The book is definitely informative but it takes some patience to sort through the details. Nevertheless, after reading the book, I felt a lot more informed about paleontology in general and the important specific contributions of Horner. My favorite incident from the book dealt with Horner's mentoring of an undergraduate to the point that she presents her research at a scientific meeting. Her project was simple but done well & yielded interesting findings (and won first place for student presentation). A huffy research scientist comments, "anybody could have done it!". Horner responds, "anybody COULD have. But no one else did!". That sums up the outcomes of some 5-10 undergraduate projects that I likewise successfully mentored to first places over the years!

[Gerald Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Horner is a famous and one of my favorite paleontologists. The others include Gould and
Bakker and Marsh and Drinker. I read dinosaur books on a regular basis. Of the various books on such field and research work I find it difficult to understand the length of the ages of prehistoric life and the relative sizes of the individual animals.

I enjoy the dinosaur books which include the illustrations of the species discussed. Sauropods and other mega critters such as T. rex and Gorgosaurus need to be enjoyed and studied in relations to the many smaller dinosaurs and reptiles that co-existed with them in the Mezosoic Era.

'The value of Digging Dinosaurs was the research that led to the Good Mother dinosaur data and the
information about other animals that existed during that time and in the costal plains of the prehistoric inland seaway.

We find that Dinosaurs nested together in colonies just like modern day birds such as gulls. The discovery of the Good Mother lizards that fed their young in the nest and several other colonial nesters in the same habitat used by the Maiasuars dinosaurs is awesome and relative to the study of modern species of birds and even mammals.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Along with jungle explorer, paleontologist was one of my first career ambitions. Paleontology has always been on the periphery of my interests, although Horner's accounts of working on your hands and knees in 100 degree + temperatures and camping out amid scorpions and rattlesnakes has dampened my enthusiasm. The key focus of this novel is Horner's investigation of dinosaur nesting sites, fossil eggs, embryos, hatchlings, and juveniles and what those imply about dinosaur lifestyles. Interesting how paleontology now relies on cell biology, geology and other seemingly unrelated branches of science and medicine. It's not just about bones any more. Fascinating discussion comparing dinosaur and bird anatomy & physiology, warm vs cold bloodedness, herding, migration, and excavation of fossil sites. Written in an engaging anecdotal style, it's very readable, although some of the science may be a bit much for middle-schoolers. Seems like it's a required book for some college curicula.

[Emery Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone just starting to look into the field of paleontology, it’s always fascinating to see how paleontologists think and the seemingly innocuous things they use to make revolutionary conclusions. This book was a great combo of scientific and everyday language. My only critique is that the author skipped ahead a bit, only to reiterate the same point a few chapters later. Things got a little redundant then

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to understand and comprehensive insight into the process of a paleontological excavation. The story of the discovery of infant dinosaurs and the nests they died in is extremely compelling as is Horner’s writing. Due to age of the book some information is outdated so prior knowledge is needed to spot that.

[Sarahandus · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very interesting for the most part. However I disliked the formatting, every chapter had to start back at the beginning of the dig. Aside from that finding baby dinosaurs and the nests really filled out some questions on their society.

[chelsegoose · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - a great book about this landmark discovery, the writing is clear making it extremely accessible and fun to read

[Madeline W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned more about hadrosaurs! Want to read more recent paleontology works now.

[Les Hopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant little book, covering the evolution of a theory based on mounting field evidence. Additionally it covers life in the field and a little in the lab. Short but sweet.

[Daniel Loween · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story from beginning to end... I can't wait until a zillion years go by and some form of life can be digging californians.

[Cheryl Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in dinosaurs, this book is for you.

[Shug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when it first came out and found it quite interesting.

[Allen Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really furthered my interest in paleontology
sucks that jack horner is a weirdo

[James Tarantine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it :)

[Gerald Hickman]

I enjoy reading about paleontology. Jack Horner is one of my favorite speakers and researchers ever.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Page 52: "On August 9th, two and a half weeks after our first stop at the rock shop in Bynum, we took some shovels and burlap bags and went out to put a small hole in the Peebles' pastureland. We worked very quickly, because we didn't know how long we'd be able to stay on the land. We hadn't talked to the Peebles ourselves, and it wasn't clear from what the Brandvolds had told us how welcome we were. So instead of slowly and carefully uncovering each piece of bone, we just dug out big chunks and put them in burlap bags."

When is Jack Horner going to get nailed for trespassing and theft, not to mention lack of research ethics from the scientific standpoint?

Later editions omit this paragraph; I've checked.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was assigned for my "Dinosaurs and Their Lost World" class for an assignment, and I decided post-grad that I would try to actually finish it.

"Digging Dinosaurs" is a really accessible book if you're new to paleontology and geology (like me). There are parts that get pretty dry and there are times where Horner goes off on tangents, but his personality comes through and because it's so likeable, I couldn't really blame him.

Some of the material in this book is outdated, but it gives a good overview of the scientific process and the methodology that Horner uses to make conclusions about dinosaurs/dino babies/etc. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in geology or paleontology, but with the warning that it can get pretty dry.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought maybe I had read this long ago, but can't find it in the book journals going back to 1992, so maybe it's only familiar because I've read ABOUT Horner and his finds so much in magazines. Great detective story. I relished how Horner could take so many pieces of information, integrate and synthesize, and turn it into a picture of dinosaur behavior. This, of course, was evidence of dinosaurs nesting and tending their young like birds. Nesting grounds and baby dinosaurs, once rare, and seeming;y in abundance when you know where to look. He also mentioned a dinosaur called "Albertosauras." Very vicious carnivore. I'l have to tell Al!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite part of this book were the illustrations because they were exceptionally well done. My favorite one was the scene with the baby maiasaurs since it brought out some childlike quality in the dinosaur rubbing its eyes. I liked the narrative until it got a little too scientific for me. Otherwise, it's a good read about dinosaurs.I would look at it again to see the illustrations and the photos in their search to find baby dinos.

[Jesseb · Rating 3 out of 5]

cool book about the man who popularized the idea of dinosaurs with maternal instincts. A lot of the passages get bogged down with technical details and jargon, so I read ahead and abridge the book for my daughter (age 5).

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horner really brings out the excitement of dinosaur discovery. I loved that so much of this book was given over to the reality of fieldwork and the subsequent analysis of the fossils was very well communicated. When I put this book down I felt the urge to join a dino dig.