People do it every day. So do birds, monkeys, butterflies, and platypuses. We have babies.
For the 160 million years that the dinosaurs walked the earth, they did it, too.
Every living animal reproduces in some way, but how each cares for its young differs from species to species. Humans buy them toys, create nurseries, and organize playdates. Birds built nests and sit patiently on their eggs to warm them with their own body heat. After the eggs hatch, the parents provide food and protection until the chicks are ready to take care of themselves. Sea turtles also build nests for their eggs. But once the eggs have been laid, the mother leaves them behind and never returns. The father sea turtle isn’t involved at all.
It’s hard for paleontologists to know for sure how dinosaurs took care of their babies. After all, there are no living dinosaurs to observe in their natural environments. The only way scientists have to learn about dinosaurs and their parenting techniques is by studying the clues that have been left behind. But even this is easier said than done.
The first dinosaurs appeared 230 million years ago, and the last to walk the earth were around until about 65 million years ago. That’s a really long time for fossils to wait to be excavated! Scientists have found lots of adult dinosaur bones, but the bones of young dinosaurs are harder to find. Their smaller, less-formed skeletons are easily damaged by trampling feet, geological shifts, or the jaws (and digestive systems) of hungry predators.
Still, there are many things we have come to know—or at least think we know—about dinosaur mommies, daddies, and babies. But to understand all of this, we need to start at the beginning.
Copyright © 2013 by Isabella Brooklyn (Author); Haude Levesque (Illustrator). All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
