Question

What do we know about ceratopsian egg-laying and nesting?

Answer 1

We know that ceratopsian dinosaurs, like most other herbivorous dinosaurs, built a large nest in order to lay their eggs; many ceratopsian dinosaurs have been found atop or beside the nests themselves. This indicates that these dinosaurs did not abandon their eggs, as some modern reptiles like turtles do, but instead watched over them and protected them from predators. Additionally, we know that the ceratopsians made nests in large groups, rather than as individuals, increasingly the likelihood that they would survive due to mutual protection.

In a ceratopsian species, males might have a bony neck frill that's shaped differently than females' frills. Some parental care at the nest after birth is implied. Some hatchlings grown somewhat past the newly hatched stage were found in nests.