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Tell me morę: reading fossils

Fossils can tell paleontologists about when a creature lived, and give clues to its features and characteristics. The story changes as new fossil discoveries provide new details. Oviraptorids were originally believed to be egg-stealing predators (oviraptorid means “egg thief). One skeleton was discovered close to an egg-filled nest thought to belong to the horned dinosaur Protoceratops. Experts assumed that the oviraptorid had been caught stealing and was killed. Recently, the oviraptorid Citipati has been discovered sitting on top of the same type of nest. This shows that oviraptorids were not stealing other dinosaurs’ eggs, but taking care of their own.

Flexible neck: Arrangement and number of vertebrae show that Citipati had a long and flexible neck

Nostrils: Were either side of the bony crest that projected upward from the beak

Upper skeleton: Had

mostly been worn away by wind (the arms and legs were not yet exposed when the fossil was discovered)

Long arm: Gave the dinosaur good reach for pulling at branches on trees and shrubs or for grabbing animal prey

Protective position: Arm

sheltering eggs mirrors a protective posturę used by today's nesting birds

Long feathers: Would have covered the arms of a live Citipati and helped keep its eggs warm while it was sitting on its nest

Citipati

Fossils give experts the details they need to paint an accurate picture of dinosaur lives. Citipati was one of many birdlike dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous era. It would have had feathers on its arms, taił, and body. Morę complete fossils of smaller relatives show that there was a fanlike arrangement of taił feathers and long feathers on the arms and hands. Like many oviraptorids, Citipati had a large, hollow, bony crest on its head. This might have been used in mating displays.