{body=[scientists April 21, 2016…, Washington The Babies Of A Huge, Long-necked Dinosaur Called Rapetosaurus That Lived On The Island Of Madagascar Did Not Just Sit In A Nest And Look Cute., They Were Born Ready For Action., Scientists On Thursday Announced The Discovery Of Fossils Of A Baby Rapetosaurus The Size Of A Big Dog That Apparently Starved To Death During A Drought Several Weeks After Hatching From Its Soccer-ball-sized Egg., Unlike Many Animal Babies, Particularly Humans, The Hatchling Rapetosaurus Had Adult Proportions, Meaning It Likely Did Not Need Significant Parental Support And Was Actively Foraging For Plants Rather Than Waiting For Momma To Feed It., Such Babies Are Known As “precocial,” As Opposed To “altricial” Offspring That Have Different Body Dimensions From Adults, Cannot Get Around By Themselves And Require Considerable Parental Support For Food And Protection, Macalester College Paleontologist Kristi Curry Rogers Said., “the Main Conclusion Was That This Is The First Evidence For A Truly Precocial Dinosaur: One That Matured Rapidly And Without Parental Care,” Adelphi University Paleontologist Michael D’emicadded., Rapetosaurus Lived About 67 Million Years Ago, Not Long Before The Demise Of The Dinosaurs, And Was The Largest Creature In Madagascar At The Time., The Baby, Known From A Partial Skeleton Including Limb Bones, Pelvic Bones, Fingers, Toes And Several Vertebrae, Was Probably Around 4 Feet (1.2 Meters) Long From Head To Tail And Weighed Between 50 And 90 Pounds (23-40 Kg) When It Died., An Adult Rapetosaurus Was Probably Around 40 Feet (12 Meters) Long, A Little More Than A School Bus, And Weighed Around 16 Tons, Roughly 2-1/2 Times As Much As An Elephant, Curry Rogers Said., It Was A Medium-sized Member Of A Dinosaur Group Called Titanosaurs, Which Included The Largest Land Animals Ever On Earth., Titanosaurs Were Part Of A Larger Assemblage Of Dinosaurs Called Sauropods, Known For Their Long Necks, Long Tails And Voracious Appetite For Plants., D’emic Said The Researchers Looked At The Microstructure Of The Baby’s Bones To See Preserved Cavities That Once Held Cells, Blood Vessels And Nerves., The Density And Organization Of Those Indicated A Rapidly Growing Individual, And There Was Even Evidence For Bone Repair, Suggesting An Active Lifestyle And Fast Metabolism, D’emic Added., Examples Of Precocial Animals Today Include Most Lizards, Snakes And Reptiles, Certain Birds And Some Large Mammals Including Wildebeest., “precocial Young Can Avoid Predation On Their Own, And There Is A Much Smaller Chance Of The Entire Brood Succumbing To Predation At Once,” Curry Rogers Said., The Research Was Published In The Journal Science., (reporting By Will Dunham; Editing By Sandra Maler) More From Reuters Newsletters | Podcasts | Apps News And Media Division Of Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters Is The World’s Largest International Multimedia News Agency, Providing Investing News, World News, Business News, Technology News, Headline News, Small Business News, News Alerts, Personal Finance, Stock Market, And Mutual Funds Information Available On Reuters.com, Video, Mobile, And Interactive Television Platforms., Thomson Reuters Journalists Are Subject To An Editorial Handbook Which Requires Fair Presentation And Disclosure Of Relevant Interests., Nyse And Amex Quotes Delayed By At Least 20 Minutes., Nasdaq Delayed By At Least 15 Minutes., For A Complete List Of Exchanges And Delays, Please Click Here .], Title=huge Long-necked Dinosaurs Had Big, Precocious Babies | Reuters, Url=http://www.reuters.com/article/us-science-dinosaur-iduskcn0xi2vc?feedtype=rss&feedname=sciencenews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed%3a+reuters%2fsciencenews+%28reuters+science+news%29}