Back on the tyrannosaur fossils, Vinther explains that one clue to their compromising position might come from the site of another former lake, the Messel Pit in Germany. This quarry-turned-fossil haven is legendary for its immaculately preserved flora and fauna, which often looks like it"s been squashed between the pages of a book. So far it"s yielded fox-sized horses, giant ants, early primates, and several animals with their full stomach contents – one involves a beetle inside a lizard, inside a snake. A large number of freshwater turtles have also been found – including at least nine couples that perished mid-way through an amorous encounter. In some cases, their tails are still touching, as they are during copulation. And this is crucial to his theory.