Oviraptor — “egg thief” — was named in 1924 after a specimen was found near a nest of eggs assumed to belong to Protoceratops. Decades later, embryos inside similar eggs were identified as Oviraptor itself. It wasn’t stealing eggs. It was brooding its own.
A reputation built on a misread fossil. It deserved better. Most things accused of theft are just protecting what’s theirs.
Leave a Reply