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Quirks and Quarks

The Romeo and Juliet of Dinosaur Fossils

Two bird-like dinosaurs were fossilized together, and might have been mates.
CBC Radio ·
Artist's reconstruction of oviraptor mating displays (Sydney Mohr/University of Alberta)
Quirks and Quarks8:28The Romeo and Juliet of Dinosaur Fossils - 2015/04/11 - Pt. 2
A 75-million-year-old pair of oviraptors - bird-like dinosaurs - found buried deep in the sand in Mongolia's Gobi desert, have helped paleontologists establish sexual dimorphism in the species, and figure out which one was the male and which the female.

Because oviraptors had feathers, but were flightless, it was assumed the feathers were used in some form of courtship display, similar to the peacock today. The pair - nicknamed Romeo and Juliet because of their sudden and tragic end together in a collapsed dune - were found one metre apart.

The fact that the fossils were in pristine condition helped Scott Persons, a PhD student from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, identify specific bone features in the tail of each that confirm the male was the one capable of an elaborate mating ritual, using his tail feathers.   

Related Links

- Paper in Nature Scientific Reports
- University of Alberta release
- CBC News story
- The Edmonton Journal story
- Discovery News story
 

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