In 1978 in Montana, paleontologist Jack Horner found a hillside full of dinosaur eggshells, broken juveniles, and clear bowl-shaped nests dug into the ground. It was one of the most important dinosaur discoveries ever - the first proof that dinosaurs cared for their babies.
He named the dinosaur Maiasaura, which means “good mother lizard.” The nests were packed close together in a colony, like a giant neighborhood. The babies inside had worn-down teeth even though they were too small to walk far - which meant adults must have been bringing them food.
Until that discovery, scientists assumed dinosaurs laid eggs and forgot about them, like most modern reptiles. Maiasaura proved that some dinosaurs were attentive parents - and that nesting behavior in birds today wasn’t invented by birds. It was inherited from their dinosaur ancestors.
