Don't let their fierce looks fool you: Some male carnivorous dinosaurs were actually devoted dads, researchers say. A new study examined the bones of three species of dinosaurs found sitting on fossilized egg clutches and declared that in these species, it was the males who sat on the nests and cared for the young.
The three types of dinosaurs, Troodon, Oviraptor and Citipati, lived roughly 75 million years ago and were theropods -- the primarily meat-eating group that also includes monstrous beasts like Tyrannosaurus rex and Giganotosaurus [Reuters].
The new findings upend some notions of dinosaur family life, and also suggest that birds, which are believed to have evolved from small, feathered dinosaurs, may have inherited this behavioral trait. Study coauthor Frankie Jackson says the study
"sheds light on the origins of parental care systems in birds." ... Males protect or support offspring in more than 90 percent of bird ...
