Eggs, Nests and Baby Dinosaurs

What do we know about how dinosaurs reproduced, gave birth, cared for their young? What do we know about dinosaur eggs, hatchlings, and baby dinosaurs? Here is the latest information, presented with clarity and wit, about the reproductive lives of dinosaurs. Studying dinosaur reproduction might seem impossible considering they became extinct 65 million years ago, yet scientists have figured out some things about dinosaur mating behaviour and reproduction from the clues left in the fossil record. For example, the microscopic structure of the egg shell tells us something about the way the egg was made, the pattern of eggs in a clutch tells us about how the eggs were laid, embryos and hatchlings tell us about early development, and ornamental structures of the adults tell us something about mating rituals. The behaviour of living animals provides analogues to understanding the behaviour of extinct animals, giving insight into possible ways dinosaurs might have behaved. Carpenter begins with the story of the discovery of dinosaur eggs, explains the processes by which they are fossilised, and describes how they are studied. He presents a detailed discussion of the most current ideas about dinosaur courtship and mating, about nests and nesting behaviour, and about the growth of the dinosaur from embryo to hatchling to young animal. There is also an extensive list of sites where dinosaur eggs and babies have been found.