Fossilized dinosaurs often have wide-open mouths, heads thrown back and tails that curve toward the head. Paleontologists have long assumed the dinosaurs died in water and the currents drifted the bones into that position, or that rigor mortis or drying muscles, tendons and ligaments contorted the limbs."I'm reading this in the literature and thinking, 'This doesn't make any sense to me as a veterinarian,'" said Cynthia Marshall Faux, a veterinarian-turned-paleontologist at the Museum of the Rockies.Faux and a colleague say brain damage and asphyxiation are the more likely culprits.A classic example of the posture, which has puzzled paleontologists for ages, is the 150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx, the first-known example of a feathered dinosaur and the proposed link between dinosaurs and present-day birds.

"Virtually all articulated specimens of Archaeopteryx are in this posture, exhibiting a classic pose of head thrown back, jaws open, back and tail reflexed backward and limbs contracted," said Kevin Padian, professor of integrative biology and curator in the Museum of Paleontology at the University of California, Berkeley. He Faux (pronounced "Fox") published their findings this week in the journal Paleobiology.Some animals found in this posture may have suffocated in ash during a volcanic eruption, consistent with the fact that many fossils are found in ash deposits, Faux and Padian said. But many other possibilities exist, including disease, brain trauma, severe bleeding, thiamine deficiency or poisoning.

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poor dinosaurs.

I actually think this theory is more accurate. I'm interested to see what happens wth it.

Wonder why so many died in water.

I've always thought the Archaeopteryx fossil was incredibly beautiful. I thought it was just a fortunate coincidence that it was in that position. Strange to think that that posture was actually a representation of agony.

First of all "faux" is pronounced FOE not fox!
This theory goes hand in hand with Velikovsky's theory:
For some interesting reading:

Earth in Upheaval: Books: Immanuel Velikovsky, also Ages in Chaos etc.

Hmm, I never knew fossilized dinosaurs having wide-open mouths, heads thrown back, and tails that curve toward the head was commonly found that way. Oddly enough, the film Jurassic Park is accurate for the fossils in the first movie. Who knew eh?

Because so many lived beside water, would be my guess.

The other thing to take in to consideration is that if the animals died in the open plain, or forest where there was no water the chances of them becoming a fossil was pretty slim, so the odds are skewed towards finding aninimals that died close to / in water.

Sad.