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My, How You've Grown!
Fossils of young dinosaurs help paleontologists understand what changes took place as the dinosaur grew. Since the hatchling skull doesn't have a head crest, we know that this feature grew as the animal got older. Not all oviraptorid fossils have head crests. Paleontologist Mark Norell explains, "Some oviraptorids had noticeable head crests, others did not. The crests may have helped the different species recognize each other, or may have marked the difference between the sexes."
OLOGY CARD 045
Series: Specimen
Oviraptorid skull
This fossilized skull was recently discovered at Ukhaa Tolgod in the Gobi Desert. It is probably from a new kind of dinosaur that hasn't been named yet. Figuring out where a new species fits on the family tree can take months or years. Once the research is complete, paleontologists will write a description of the specimen and give it a name.
Image credits: main image, © AMNH.