Re: Tyrannosaur eggs amd brooding

[Tom Holtz <tholtz@geochange.er.usgs.gov>]

>  In Montana, alleged eggs of Troodontids also were laid in a linear row.
>So does this tell us anything about brooding behavior in the Tyrannosauridae
>and the Troodontidae? Could these theropods be engaged in "drop 'em and
>forget 'em" egg-laying?  Does this indicate that T. rex chicks were deadly
>12-inch terrors right after hatching (requiring no matriarchal or patriarchal
>care-taking)? And if Oviraptor chicks required parental care-taking in a
>nest, what was unusual about the Tyrannisauridae and Troodontidae chicks
>such that they didn't need a nest?

The null hypothesis, on phylogenetic basis, is that all dinosaurs used some
degree of parental care, as both the in-group (birds) and the closest
surviving outgroup (crocodillians) protect the nest and the young for some
duration.

                                
Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.                                   
tholtz@geochange.er.usgs.gov
Vertebrate Paleontologist in Exile                  Phone:      703-648-5280
U.S. Geological Survey                                FAX:      703-648-5420
Branch of Paleontology & Stratigraphy
MS 970 National Center
Reston, VA  22092
U.S.A.