A new study of fossilised teeth suggests that some dinosaurs fed their young a softer, more nutritious diet than adults, aiding faster growth. The research, published in Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, analysed dental wear patterns in the duck-billed dinosaur Maiasaura peeblesorum, which lived 75–80 million years ago.
Juvenile Maiasaura teeth showed more crushing wear, indicating consumption of softer, higher-protein foods like fruit, while adult teeth exhibited shearing wear typical of tougher, high-fibre plants. This suggests adults brought specialised food to their offspring, similar to modern bird behaviour.
Lead author John Hunter said the findings provide evidence that such parental care extends back to the origin of dinosaurs. The diet likely allowed young Maiasaura to grow rapidly in their first year, with juveniles possibly also foraging for themselves on smaller prey or fruits.
The study also hints that dinosaurs may have fed partially regurgitated food to their young, another behaviour seen in birds today. Researchers conclude that Maiasaura had a reproductive strategy analogous to modern birds, with adults providing high-protein food to support fast growth in the nest.
