How does a one-tonne dino hatch its eggs? Carefully

How does a one-tonne dino hatch its eggs? Carefully

dinosaur eggs
This handout undated artist impression released on May 15, 2018 by the University of Nagoya shows a reconstruction of oviraptorosour dinosaurs incubating eggs. (Image: AFP/Nagoya University/Masato Hattori)

PARIS: Most dinosaurs buried their eggs and hoped for the best, but some species - including a few hefty ones - built nests and pampered unhatched offspring much as birds do today, researchers reported Wednesday.



"Eggs are arranged in a circular pattern with a large central opening," he told AFP, describing clutches of potato-shaped eggs found in China up to half-a-metre long and weighing up to 7kg each.



Modern birds descend from a large group of mostly carnivorous dinosaurs called theropods, all of which - including the fearsome T-rex - are thought to have laid eggs.

But very few theropods built nests, which is why the brooding displayed by oviraptorosaurs - a clade of several dozen species ranging from the turkey-sized Caudipteryx to the 1.4-tonne Gigantoraptor - is so important.


"The incubation behaviour of birds - such as adults sitting in the nest and possibly brooding - likely evolved from theropod dinosaurs," said Tanaka. "Our research provides additional evidence."


They had short snouts and beak-like jaws with few or no teeth, and some sported bony crests on their heads. Evidence of generous plumage - especially on the tail - has been found on several species.





Oviraptorosaurs were falsely accused by early paleontologists of stealing the eggs so often found alongside their fossil remains, giving rise to their name: "egg-thief lizards."

Source: AFP/cy