The skulls of two baby predators found littered among a nest containing the near-complete embryo of an Oviraptor puzzled scientists when they described the find back in 1994. Why were these Velociraptor-like animals in such close association with what appeared to be the nest of its prey? The juiciest among several explanations is that it could’ve been an example of brood parasitism.
Snarling, toothy jaws, and killer hooked claws, the mental image the word “Velociraptor” brings to mind is a frightening one, but the more we learn, the more relatable they become. They were feathered theropod dinosaurs, about half the size they were depicted in Jurassic Park, closer to that of a turkey than the
There are two known species: Velociraptor mongoliensis and Velociraptor osmolskae, and they both join the Dromaeosauridae as
It centers around Oviraptors, and whether or not they were the
Among the eggshell remnants found in the same heavily weathered nest that contained the nearly complete skeleton of an embryonic oviraptorid dinosaur (aka,
It’s a savage approach to parenting, but you can’t knock the results. The cuckoo gets to continue its bloodline without lifting a finger after the egg-laying is over. Brood parasitism is seen in several bird species alive today, suggesting it’s a successful reproductive strategy that’s also an example of convergent evolution, with the trait appearing in unrelated birds. So, if birds evolved from dinosaurs, could some of their ancient ancestors have done the same thing?
Unfortunately, when it comes to dromaeosaurids, we have very little evidence to work from. Without well-preserved nests of dinosaurs like Velociraptor, it’s difficult to infer nesting behavior. That’s what makes the appearance of two dromaeosaurids next to an Oviraptor egg so exciting, but there are several explanations as to how they could have got there.
“Skulls of non-avian theropods this small are rare,” wrote Norell et al in their
“Although they are certainly from animals close to hatchling age, it is unclear whether they are embryos or neonates; the possibility that the dromaeosaurids are from an adjacent nest, were prey items of adult oviraptorids, were predators on the oviraptorid eggs, or even that one of the two taxa was a nest parasite, cannot be discounted. In any case, their intimate association with the oviraptorid eggs provides another reason for caution in identifying eggs on the basis of their associations with embryos not actually enclosed within them.”
What is it they say about not counting your Oviraptors until they’ve hatched?
Another curious clue as to whether or not brood parasitism was a trait that evolved before birds is
It’s possible, then, that