A nest of Protoceratops andrewsi (Dinosauria, Ornithischia)
Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
11-1-2011
Abstract
A remarkable specimen of the small neoceratopsian dinosaur Protoceratops andrewsi (Late Cretaceous, Mongolia) reveals the first nest of this genus, complete with fifteen juveniles. The relatively large size of the individuals and their advanced state of development suggests the possibility that Protoceratops juveniles remained and grew in their nests during at least the early stages of postnatal development. The nest further implies that parental care and sociality are phylogenetically basal behaviors in Ceratopsia. Finally, it reaffirms the conclusion that Protoceratops lived (and died) in the sandy aeolian dune fields of the central Asian craton. © 2011 The Paleontological Society.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Journal of Paleontology
Volume
85
Issue
6
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Fastovsky, D. E., D. B. Weishampel, M. Watabe, R. Barsbold, Kh Tsogtbaatar, and P. Narmandakh. "A nest of Protoceratops andrewsi (Dinosauria, Ornithischia)." Journal of Paleontology 85, 6 (2011). doi: 10.1666/11-008.1.