Fossil presents oldest record of parental care in reptiles
By Liu Ce(China Daily)
Updated: 2015-01-21
A fossilized reptile that a farmer discovered in Liaoning province could be the oldest record of post-natal parental care, dating back to the Middle Jurassic period (161-176 million years ago), Science Daily reported, on Jan 15, noting that the specimen was surrounded by six young fossilized reptiles of the same species. In view of the fact that the smaller ones are of a similar sizes, they have been interpreted as indicating an adult with its offspring. The tendency for adults to care for their offspring after birth is a key feature of the biology of living archosaurs (crocodiles) that protect their young from predators, as well as birds, that not only provide protection but also food.
Archaeologists have studied reproduction among this group using well-preserved skeletons of the aquatic Philydrosauras, which was donated to the Jinzhou Paleontology Museum in the city of Jinzhou, Liaoning province, four years ago by a farmer who discovered it. A test of whether post-natal parental care is a trait that has persisted over the evolutionary development of amniotes will depend on future fossil discoveries.