Is parrot-billed dragon a dinosaur raised by parents?

In Yixian County, Liaoning Province, China, there is a well-preserved specimen, which can prove that the parrot-billed dragon was a dinosaur raised by its parents. This specimen is an interwoven skeleton of an adult parrot beak dragon and more than 30 natural young parrots beak dragon.

These underage bones have three sizes, and the skulls are all above the body, which may be their living conditions. Excavation shows that these animals were still alive when they were buried. This process may be very fast, and it is estimated that it is caused by cave collapse.

The study found that the bones of those underage dinosaurs were very small, but they had ossified in cartilage. This is considered as important evidence of parental rearing, because these young individuals must stay in the nest until their bones gradually harden.

In addition, in a Lahore skeleton, archaeologists also found another group of six specimens of parrot-billed dinosaurs, which came from about two different age groups.

Paleontologists believe that these fossils show that parrot-billed dinosaurs were one of many social animals, and they were the earliest evidence that Ceratosaurus was also a social animal.

These fossils also show that the teeth of young parrot-billed dinosaurs have worn out, indicating that they have been able to chew their own food. They may be precocious dinosaurs, but they still need constant parental care.