Cited by 178Paleontology and Evolutionary BiologyAvian ecology and behaviorAnimal Behavior and Reproduction

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Avian Paternal Care Had Dinosaur Origin

Varricchio, David J., Moore, Jason R., Erickson, Gregory M., Norell, Mark A., Jackson, Frankie D., Borkowski, John J.·2008·Science

DOI 10.1126/science.1163245

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Abstract

The repeated discovery of adult dinosaurs in close association with egg clutches leads to speculation over the type and extent of care exhibited by these extinct animals for their eggs and young. To assess parental care in Cretaceous troodontid and oviraptorid dinosaurs, we examined clutch volume and the bone histology of brooding adults. In comparison to four archosaur care regressions, the relatively large clutch volumes of Troodon, Oviraptor , and Citipati scale most closely with a bird-paternal care model. Clutch-associated adults lack the maternal and reproductively associated histologic features common to extant archosaurs. Large clutch volumes and a suite of reproductive features shared only with birds favor paternal care, possibly within a polygamous mating system. Paternal care in both troodontids and oviraptorids indicates that this care system evolved before the emergence of birds and represents birds' ancestral condition. In extant birds and over most adult sizes, paternal and biparental care correspond to the largest and smallest relative clutch volumes, respectively.

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Authors: Varricchio, D. J., Moore, J. R., Erickson, G. M., Norell, M. A., Jackson, F. D., & Borkowski, J. J.
Affiliations: Florida State University (US)
Corresponding author: Varricchio, David J.
ORCID: Varricchio, David J.
Moore, Jason R.
Erickson, Gregory M.
Norell, Mark A.
Borkowski, John J.
Venue: Science
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Published: 2008-12-19
Volume: 322
Issue: 5909
Pages: 1826-1828
ISSN: 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
1095-9203
DOI: 10.1126/science.1163245
OpenAlex: W2055090154
Cited by: 177
References: 25
Citations by year: 2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 8
FWCI: 5.86
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Science (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Avian ecology and behavior
Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
Keywords: paternal care, Troodontidae, Oviraptoridae, bone histology, archosaurs, avian evolution, biparental care, polygamy, Cretaceous dinosaurs, egg clutches
MeSH terms: Animals, Behavior, Animal, Birds, Bone and Bones, Biological Evolution, Female, Fossils, Male, Maternal Behavior, Nesting Behavior, Paternal Behavior, Regression Analysis, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Dinosaurs, Clutch Size

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Avian Paternal Care Had Dinosaur Origin

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