Finding things out about the way young dinosaurs lived is not an easy task. Palaeontologists rely on the discovery of fossilised bones of juveniles, which are less common than those of adults. If they want to know whether the dinosaurs lived together, they also need to find a site where the fossils of several individuals are together.

However, this only tells them whether a group of animals died together. It doesn’t always explain whether it was normal for them to live together or whether the find is a one-off occurrence. Here, we explore which dinosaurs are currently thought to have grown up and played together.

Protoceratops

To be sure that certain dinosaurs grew up together, researchers need to find several different examples of the young individuals living together. This happened in 2014 with a dinosaur called Protoceratops. The fossils of a group of four Protoceratops were found together, supporting a previous find that revealed a nest of young animals playing together. Interestingly, adult Protoceratops are thought to have lived separately from their young, meaning juveniles had to look out for each other as they grew.

Maiasaura

Maiasaura was a duck-billed dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous, and is known for having a more active role in raising its young. These dinosaurs lived in colonies and nested together much like modern seabirds. That means the babies had plenty of playmates while they grew up, safe in the protection of the herd.

Psittacosaurus

Fossil evidence suggests that juvenile Psittacosaurus - a dinosaur that lived across what is now Asia - lived in groups and played together as they grew. In the early 2000s a group of 34 baby and young Psittacosaurus were found together with just one adult, suggesting that these animals started life with numerous siblings and relatives to play with as they learned how to navigate their world. 

Edmontosaurus

The plant-eating Edmontosaurus is thought to have lived in herds, migrating across the prehistoric landscape to find food. This means they would also have nested together, with the hatchlings spending their first weeks under the watchful eyes of the adults. Babies would have been able to play and explore together, but are not thought to have migrated with the rest of the herd until they were old enough. Fossil evidence suggests they were left to fend for themselves in northern regions while the adults moved south.

Giganotosaurus

While many meat-eating dinosaurs are believed to have been solitary, the Giganotosaurus - a dinosaur found in Argentina - is thought to have lived in family groups. A fossil bone-bed revealed at least four of these dinosaurs - all of varying ages - grouped together, suggesting that babies not only played with each other but with older siblings too.

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