Oviraptor was a beaked, bird-like dinosaur once wrongly thought to be an egg thief — it was actually guarding its own nest.
Oviraptorids, once thought to steal eggs, were likely caring parents that brooded their own nests.
The name Oviraptor means 'egg thief,' a misleading label from an early misinterpretation.
For decades, those Mongolian eggs were wrongly attributed to Protoceratops rather than Oviraptor.
Oviraptor, whose name means 'egg thief', roamed Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous; it was a omnivore — wrongly accused of stealing eggs it was actually guarding.
Gigantoraptor, whose name means 'giant thief', roamed Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous; it was a omnivore — a giant oviraptorosaur.
Khaan means 'lord'. It was a Late Cretaceous omnivore from Mongolia — a small oviraptorid.
Conchoraptor (meaning 'conch thief') was a omnivore that lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now Mongolia — a crestless oviraptorid.
The Late Cretaceous omnivore Caenagnathus ('recent jaw') lived in what is now North America — a North American oviraptorosaur.
Elmisaurus (meaning 'foot lizard') was a omnivore that lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now Mongolia — a small oviraptorosaur.
Hagryphus, whose name means 'Ha's griffin', roamed North America during the Late Cretaceous; it was a omnivore — a southern oviraptorosaur.
Banji means 'striped crest'. It was a Late Cretaceous omnivore from China — a small crested oviraptorid.
Heyuannia, whose name means 'from Heyuan', roamed China during the Late Cretaceous; it was a omnivore — a crestless oviraptorid.
The Late Cretaceous omnivore Wulatelong ('Wulate dragon') lived in what is now China — a small oviraptorid.
Oviraptor was once wrongly thought to be an egg thief.
Oviraptor was actually sitting on its own eggs to protect them.
Oviraptor means 'egg thief', even though it guarded its own eggs.
Citipati was an Oviraptor relative found sitting on its nest.
Oviraptor protected its eggs instead of stealing them.