A rhino-sized horned dinosaur walks along the shore of a shallow, semi-tropical ocean, browsing leaves. Offshore, a male pterosaur soars, scanning the wave-rippled ocean below for fish. A rat-sized, furry mammal scurries through the lush, green underbrush. It freezes at the wind-borne scent of a predator. This coastal wind also stirs beautiful red, magnolia-like flowers. Their bright colour and sweet scent attract numerous nectar-feeding insects.

Today, all that remains of this intriguing Late Cretaceous world has turned to rock. But to a trained eye, these Cretaceous rocks and fossils can tell an incredible tale of life and death during this period, 145 to 65.5 million years ago.