A nest ofProtoceratops andrewsi(Dinosauria, Ornithischia)

Abstract

A remarkable specimen of the small neoceratopsian dinosaurProtoceratops andrewsi(Late Cretaceous, Mongolia) reveals the first nest of this genus, complete with fifteen juveniles. The relatively large size of the individuals and their advanced state of development suggests the possibility thatProtoceratopsjuveniles remained and grew in their nests during at least the early stages of postnatal development. The nest further implies that parental care and sociality are phylogenetically basal behaviors in Ceratopsia. Finally, it reaffirms the conclusion thatProtoceratopslived (and died) in the sandy aeolian dune fields of the central Asian craton.