Re: OJ Oviraptor

[Royan Webb <bandr@globaldialog.com>]

Twas 26-Oct-96, and Jeffrey Martz was gyring and saying:
>     Looking at the photograph in National Geographic of the Oviraptor 
>specimen that is currently beleived to died protecting its eggs, I was 
>struck by the pretty hefty size of these eggs relative to the specimen, 
>and the fact that there were "at least 20" in the nest.  It seems 
>to me that an animal of this size that could pack 20 eggs of 
>that size into its body at once would make the kiwi look like a wuss.  
>     This suggests one of two things to me:
>     1) Oviraptor gestated and laid eggs in a sequence, laying some, 
>gestating some more, and laying these as well.  I know that a lot of 
>modern birds (including the kiwi) can do this.  Do any reptiles?  How 
>many of either lay in this manner, and how large are the eggs generally
>if they do?
>     2)  Ovirpator may have been nest raiding after all.  I don't know 
>why it would stay at the nest with impending sandstorm doom, but an 
>animal looking for lunch might sit right on top of the nest like that.  
>When it floped forward and died, I don't see why its arms couldn't be 
>spread out.

Or 3> they used communal nests?   


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