- A new study of fossilised Maiasaura teeth suggests advanced parental care among these duck-billed dinosaurs, which lived 75 to 80 million years ago.
- Researchers found that juvenile Maiasaura had significantly more crushing wear on their teeth, while adults exhibited more shearing wear, indicating different diets.
- The findings suggest adult Maiasaura fed their young softer, higher-protein foods, such as fruit, compared to their own tougher, high-fibre diet.
- This specialised diet likely contributed to the rapid growth of young dinosaurs in their first year and hints at behaviours similar to modern birds, like regurgitation.
- The study indicates that the urge to feed offspring is a very old behaviour, potentially dating back to the origin of dinosaurs.
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