Paleontology Glossary

essential terms and definitions for paleontology and dinosaur science.

Reproduction & Growth

15 terms

Terms related to how dinosaurs reproduced, laid eggs, raised young, and grew from hatchling to adult.

Non-proportional growth where different body parts grow at different rates. The disproportionately large skull of …

Sitting on eggs to incubate them. Oviraptorosaurs like Oviraptor and Citipati are known from specimens …

The number of eggs laid in a single nesting event. Dinosaur clutch sizes range from …

The crystallographic and structural properties of the eggshell, visible under a microscope. Eggshell microstructure distinguishes …

A rapidly deposited bone tissue with a fibrous matrix containing many vascular canals. Its presence …

A line of arrested growth (LAG) in bone cross-sections, analogous to tree rings. Counting growth …

A communal nesting site used repeatedly by hadrosaurs across multiple breeding seasons. The Egg Mountain …

The microscopic study of tissue structure. Bone histology is a primary tool for estimating dinosaur …

The body proportions and structural features characteristic of young dinosaurs. Juveniles typically had proportionally larger …

A temporary bone tissue forming inside long bones of female birds during egg-laying. Medullary bone …

The retention of juvenile features into adulthood. Some small theropods show neotenic features — large …

The developmental history of an individual organism from embryo to adult. Ontogenetic studies reveal that …

Relating to an old individual showing signs of aging. Senescent dinosaurs sometimes show bone pathologies, …

Differences in size or morphology between males and females of the same species. Identifying sexual …

A growth stage between juvenile and fully mature adult. Many dinosaur features — the nasal …