What is the evidence for Allosaurus parental care and nesting sites?

Paleontologist Robert T. Bakker revealed the first evidence of parental care at nesting sites for Allosaurus. While general dinosaur reproduction shares features with archosaurs such as laying eggs in nests, fossil evidence indicates that parental care may have been required for some specific dinosaur species. Most dinosaurs likely survived independently after hatching because they did not nurse their young like mammals.

What we know

• Robert T. Bakker revealed the first evidence of parental care at nesting sites for Allosaurus. [3]
• Dinosaurs reproduced by laying eggs in nests, showing correlation with archosaur physiology. [2]
• Most dinosaurs were likely capable of surviving on their own after hatching because they did not nurse their offspring. [2] · medium confidence
• Fossil evidence indicates that parental care may have been required for some specific dinosaur species. [2] · medium confidence

Where to go next

• whoWho is Robert T. Bakker?
• the bigger pictureWhat are the general characteristics of dinosaur reproduction?
• whereWhat fossils are found in the Morrison Formation?
• how it workedHow does archosaur physiology relate to dinosaur nesting?
• whenWhat are recent discoveries in archosaur paleontology?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a researcher known for warm-blooded dinosaur theories discover nesting habits?Robert T. Bakker is primarily famous for championing the theory that dinosaurs were endothermic and fast, yet he also revealed the pioneering evidence of Allosaurus parental care at nesting sites.

Sources

• [1]dinosaur reproduction (Wikidata Q5278675) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Dinosaur reproduction · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Robert T. Bakker · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]2026 in archosaur paleontology · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]List of dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. What is the Slope Mass Rating system?
2. /What is the evidence for Allosaurus parental care and nesting sites?