Dinosaurs 'grew fast, bred young' (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Helen Briggs
Science reporter, BBC News

Dinosaurs bred as early as age eight, long before they reached adult size, fossil evidence suggests.

Although they were descended from reptiles, and evolved into birds, dinosaurs grew fast and bred young, much like the mammals of today.

Researchers at the University of California found hallmark "egg-making" tissue in two juvenile females.

They say early sexual maturity was needed for survival, so females could lay eggs before becoming prey.

Calcium-rich medullary bone, which, in birds, is used to produce egg shells, was found inside the fossilised shin-bones of two specimens: the meat-eating Allosaurus and the plant-eater Tenontosaurus.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7181993.stm

[supernova]

1. See what happens without abstinence education?

You don't become prey!

[Orsino]

2. I'd suspected this.

You don't monopolize so many different ecological niches for hundreds of millions of years by sitting back and letting faster breeders take over.

[semillama]

3. They also left good-looking corpses. n/t

[Nihil]

4. F*cking rednecks again!

> Dinosaurs bred as early as age eight

Actually, cancel that ... dinosaurs evolved ...

:hide:

[Hand]

5. Damn DinaHos!

:rofl: