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Description
Date: 9/12/17-9/13/17

Artist's notes:
Cunagnathus robustus “stout cradle jaw” was a horned goliath of late Cretaceous Gobi. Specimens were first found in a massive burial evidently caused by a flash flood. Curiously, many individuals had the remains of several infants within their deep jaws. As no remains of infants were found within the ribcages of the adults it can be assumed that rather than a desperate act of cannibalism, the adults were attempting to protect their offspring in much the same way that crocodiles do today. In addition to carrying their young across deep bodies of water they might have also used this parenting strategy to protect their young from Messoronychus and Casuarimimus, which are known from fossil evidence to prey on young Cunagnathus, by fighting them off with their horn and boar like tusks. It has been found that the brood size of Cunagnathus was significantly smaller than those of similar retrosaurs. This is most likely due to increased survival rate of infants as well as the limited space within the mother’s mouth for carrying her young.

Before the discovery of Maiasaura, Protoceratops was the dinosaur most often depicted caring for its young. I thought why not have this dinosaur care for its young the same way crocodiles do? Link to challenge: tyrantisterror.tumblr.com/post…

Description
Date: 9/12/17-9/13/17

Artist's notes:
Cunagnathus robustus “stout cradle jaw” was a horned goliath of late Cretaceous Gobi. Specimens were first found in a massive burial evidently caused by a flash flood. Curiously, many individuals had the remains of several infants within their deep jaws. As no remains of infants were found within the ribcages of the adults it can be assumed that rather than a desperate act of cannibalism, the adults were attempting to protect their offspring in much the same way that crocodiles do today. In addition to carrying their young across deep bodies of water they might have also used this parenting strategy to protect their young from Messoronychus and Casuarimimus, which are known from fossil evidence to prey on young Cunagnathus, by fighting them off with their horn and boar like tusks. It has been found that the brood size of Cunagnathus was significantly smaller than those of similar retrosaurs. This is most likely due to increased survival rate of infants as well as the limited space within the mother’s mouth for carrying her young.

Before the discovery of Maiasaura, Protoceratops was the dinosaur most often depicted caring for its young. I thought why not have this dinosaur care for its young the same way crocodiles do? Link to challenge: tyrantisterror.tumblr.com/post…