Episode 78 is also about Oviraptor, a misunderstood theropod originally thought to be an egg thief.

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In this episode, we discuss:

• The dinosaur of the day: Oviraptor
• Name means “egg taker” or “egg seizer”
• George Olsen discovered the bones and Henry Fairfeld Osborn described Oviraptor in 1924
• Small theropod that lived in Mongolia
• Lived in the Cretaceous
• First fossils were found on top of what were thought to be Protoceratops eggs
• Holotype is a partial skeleton with a crushed skull, found near a nest of 15 eggs
• Osborn also said the name Oviraptor “may entirely mislead us as to its feeding habits and belie its character” (turned out to be right)
• Type species is Oviraptor philoceratops
• Name philoceratops means “lover of ceratopsians”
• Species name because they thought Oviraptor likes to eat Protoceratops
• Lots of other Protoceratops were found near where Oviraptor was found
• Also, they thought that Protoceratops was the one to crush the Oviraptor skull (still could have happened, Protoceratops stumbled upon nest and Oviraptor died protecting it?)
• In the 1990s, scientists found nesting oviraptorids, such as Citipati, which means the eggs found near Oviraptor were probably Oviraptor eggs and Oviraptor was probably brooding
• In 1994 similar looking eggs to the eggs found by Oviraptor had Oviraptor-like embryos
• One oviraptorid nest had two embryo-sized Velociraptor bones. May be an example of brood parasitism (some modern birds do this, such as the Old World cuckoo, where they lay eggs in other species nest so that the other species end up taking care of the eggs. Possible that Velociraptor did that too)
• Unclear what exactly Oviraptor ate (still possibly ate eggs), though lizard remains were found in the stomach cavity of the only known Oviraptor skeleton, so it was partially carnivorous
• May have been omnivorous
• Had a toothless beak
• Had spikes on the roof of its mouth instead of teeth
• Osborn thought Oviraptor had a crushing jaw (toothless beak was an egg piercing tool). In 1977 Barsbold said the beak may have been strong enough to break clam shells
• Clams and mollusk fossils are common in the same area as Oviraptor
• Oviraptor is the type genus of Oviraptoridae, a family Barsbold named in 1976
• Osborn originally classified Oviraptor as an ornithomimid, probably because it was so bird like
• Other oviraptorids include Citipati, Conchoraptor, and Khaan (feathered theropods that lived in central Asia, very bird like)
• Chriostenotes is considered to be a close relative of Oviraptor
• Not a dromaeosaur, just shares the raptor name
• Citipati and Oviraptor are very similar, and knowing what Citipati looked like has helped with Oviraptor reconstructions
• Scientists thought Oviraptor had a crest like a cassowary, but now they think it is Citipati that had the distinctive crest. Oviraptor probably had a crest, but it’s not clear the size or shape because the only skull found of Oviraptor was crushed
• In 1976 Barsbold referred six other specimens to Oviraptor, but later they were reclassified as Conchoraptor. Also, a large specimen with a distinct crest was classified as Oviraptor in 1981, but on closer inspection has been tentatively reclassified as Citipati (the one with the distinct head crest like a cassowary)
• Crest may have been large and U-shaped
• Crests may have been for display
• Skin impressions from other oviraptorosaurs (Caudipteryx and Protarchaeopteryx) show there were feathers on the body, wings and tail, so Oviraptor probably also had feathers
• Oviraptor probably used its arm to help insulate eggs while brooding
• Very bird-like (rib cage was very bird like and rigid)
• Parrot-like head
• About 6.5 ft (2 m) long
• Weighed about 55-76 lb (25-35 kg)
• Bipedal, with long legs, and could probably move fast
• Probably a fast runner, like an ostrich (ostriches can run up to 43 mph or 70 kph)
• Had an s-shaped neck, long tail, strong arms, curved claws on hands and feet (each had three digits)
• Claws were about 3 in (8 cm) long, and had long, grasping fingers
• Probably cared for its young
• Had muscular, flexible tails. Scott Persons and his team found that Oviraptor and its kind could hold their tails up at sharp, upward angles. Possible that male oviraptors displayed tail feathers to attract mates
• Tail feathers like a peacock, to attract mates (may have done a mating dance)
• Scott Persons and his team published about the tails in a study in 2015, called “A possible instance of sexual dimorphism in the tails of two oviraptorosaur dinosaurs”
• The study was about two oviraptorids nicknamed Romeo and Juliet, who died next to each other (large sand dune fell on top of them). They were about the same size and age, but Romeo had longer, more complex tail bones (like a peacock). They were buried side by side for 75 million years
• Can see Oviraptor in ARK: Survival Evolved. In the game, Oviraptor steals eggs for itself or its owner, and it gives a mating speed boost to all nearby allied dinosaurs
• Oviraptorids lived in the Cretaceous in Mongolia and North America
• They used to be considered ornithomimids, but now they’re part of Maniraptora
• They are generally small, with short skulls, toothless jaws, and crests on the skull
• Had feathers
• Compared to other maniraptorans, they have short tails
• Fun Fact: Antacrtica is actually ruled by non-flying dinosaurs. Penguins are both the largest animals at up to 100lbs (45kg) and 4ft (122cm) tall on the continent and carnivores.