Oviraptor: the dino with a chicken head

The Oviraptor was an odd dino. It has the strong, powerful legs of a tiny T-Rex with the head of a chicken. But don’t let its strange appearance fool you into thinking it was a gentle creature. It had razor-sharp claws it used it defend itself and its nest and could reach a top speed of up to 25 miles per hour.

Some Quick Facts About the Oviraptor

The Oviraptor is a Mongolian dinosaur with much in common with modern-day birds. It made the largest nests of up to fifteen colorful eggs and was likely covered in feathers. As a late Cretaceous theropod, it lived in the desert regions of Mongolian and late both plants and mollusks.

How Big Was The Oviraptor?

The Oviraptor was one strange-looking dino. It was about the same size as a full-grown adult with powerful hind legs, tiny forelimbs, and a chicken-like head. What’s interesting about the Oviraptor is that it was surprisingly fast.

It could reach up to 43 miles per hour, which is about the same speed as an ostrich. Since the Oviraptor had few tools to defend itself against larger dinos, it used its quick speed to flee from predators.

Was Oviraptor A Carnivore Or an Omnivore?

The Oviraptor was an omnivore. In the harsh desert conditions in Mongolia, food was scarce, and the Oviraptor ate whatever was available. Unlike larger theropods, the Oviraptor was toothless. 

Paleolotogists still struggle to determine what precisely the Oviraptor ate. Many believe it was primarily herbivorous but sometimes ate mollusks and shellfish. It had a very unique curved lower jaw that could easily crack open the hard shells of shellfish and other marine life.

How did Oviraptors reproduce?

The Oviraptor reproduced by making a nest and laying on a nest of dinosaur eggs. Oviraptors laid beautiful eggs. The egg of an Oviraptor was a blue-ish green color. Paleontologists discovered an almost perfectly preserved Oviraptor fossilized eggs that told us so much about these ornithomimids.

The Oviraptor was a fierce protector of its nest and often protected it with its life. The behaviors of these prehistoric animals share a lot in common with modern-day birds.

What Dinosaur Is Similar To Oviraptor?

The Oviraptor was very similar to other bird-like dinos unearthed in the dry Gobi Desert regions of Mongolia. The Oviraptor shares much in common with small theropods with toothless beaks, such as the Citipati osmolskae, Velociraptor, and Saurornithoides.

These raptors are all of very similar size and have similar behaviors, and many paleontologists believe they even have identical feathers.

Who Was Stronger, the Velociraptor or the Oviraptor?

The Oviraptor had powerful back legs, high speeds, and sharp claws that it used to defend itself. However, its defenses weren’t enough to protect itself against similar raptors of the Cretaceous period, like the Velicipatpor.

The Velicipator was a little smaller than an Oviraptor but much more aggressive. The Velicirator had a mouth full of sharp teeth, while the Oviraptor was entirely toothless!

Where Are Oviraptors Found?

In 1923, Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the bones of three new dinosaurs during his expedition in Mongolia. The Mongolian dinos at this site included the Oviraptor fossils, the Velociraptor, and the lesser-known Saurornithoides.

These fossils popped up in the Djadokhta Formation, an arid and desert-like area during the late Cretaceous period. These dinos weren’t friendly neighbors. Often, fights would break out between these dinosaurs over territory.

What Is The Most Interesting Fact About Oviraptors?

Oviraptors aren’t thieves! When paleontologists discovered an Oviraptor skeleton on top of egg nests, they assumed the Oviraptors were feeding on the eggs of other dinosaurs (like the Protoceratops).

However, when they studied the embryos of the nest of eggs, they soon learned that the Oviraptor likely died defending its own nest from a brutal sandstorm. It’s about time paleontology changes the Oviraptors nickname from egg thief to egg defender!