Dinosaur Eggs and Nests

Dinosaurs hatched from eggs, just like birds and reptiles do today. Scientists have found many fossilized dinosaur eggs and nests. Some dinosaurs were great parents that protected their eggs. Others just laid eggs and walked away.

Dinosaur Eggs

Dinosaur eggs came in many shapes and sizes. Some were round and some were oval. The biggest dinosaur eggs were about the size of a football. Even the largest dinosaurs laid relatively small eggs. If eggs were too big, the shell would be too thick for the baby to break out.

Caring Parents

Some dinosaurs built nests and cared for their young. Maiasaura, whose name means "good mother lizard," fed its babies in the nest. Oviraptor sat on its eggs to keep them warm, just like birds. Some dinosaurs nested in large groups, like a colony of seabirds. Baby dinosaurs grew very fast.

Fun Facts

• The biggest dinosaur eggs ever found are about 2 feet long, from a dinosaur in China.
• Maiasaura means "good mother lizard" because it was found with nests full of babies.
• Some dinosaur nests had over 20 eggs arranged in a circle.

Did You Know?

Even the biggest dinosaurs, like the 100-foot-long titanosaurs, hatched from eggs no bigger than a football. A baby titanosaur was thousands of times smaller than its parents!