The dinosaur named 'egg thief' was actually a devoted parent
Long maligned as a prehistoric 'egg thief,' the Oviraptor was actually a remarkably nurturing parent that used bird-like techniques to incubate its young in the harsh Gobi Desert.
In 1924, a fossilized Oviraptor was found atop a nest, leading scientists to label it an egg thief. Modern research reveals a touching correction: the dinosaur was actually brooding its own clutch. These Cretaceous theropods arranged 15 to 30 eggs in a precise ring, tilting the blunt ends upward to ensure optimal gas exchange for the developing embryos.
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