T rex pack with a mysterious egg in their nest

[caters]

I have started writing a fiction book about dinosaurs. The first chapter is about a T rex pack with a mysterious egg in their nest.

The pack itself has 1 adult female, 1 adult male, and 3 juveniles.

The adult female was about to lay her eggs when she said "Oh my god, there is an egg in our nest that isn't from a T rex."

The adult male said "What? That doesn't make any sense."

The juveniles said "A mystery, cool."

The adult male said "Yep. It's a mystery all right and we have to solve it. Okay juveniles, this is your mission. 1 of you is going to stay near the nest and protect it after your mom lays her eggs. The other 2 are going to search for dinosaurs that might have laid the mysterious egg. Got it?"

The juveniles said "Got it" and started to investigate.

Now here is where I start asking questions:

1) Since they are solving the mystery, there is a low chance of eating the egg. But what if it were to hatch? Would the T rex pack eat the hatchling or not? Now I know this depends on whether or not it is a carnivore and whether or not when it was bigger it could take down T rex. But would there be a higher chance of eating the hatchling if it were to hatch in the T rex nest?

2) If the hatchling were to be eaten, I think it would most likely be the adult female since she has to recuperate from laying those eggs. Would it?

3) How could the 2 juvenile T rex that are investigating not scare away any herbivorous dinosaurs or be eaten by carnivorous dinosaurs and still figure out what dinosaur laid the egg in the T rex nest?

4) If the eggs happen to get cold, how would a juvenile T rex warm them up without breaking? I mean the shells of dinosaur eggs are brittle, not strong like some bird eggs.

 

[HallsofIvy]

The first thing I notice is that the dinosaur's talk! So this isn't really a "science-fiction" story. Nor is it really a "fantasy". It is a "fable" with the dinosaur characters acting like humans. Given that, I don't know how you would expect others to decide how your characters would act. If these were real dinosaurs I suspect they would have, at the least, removed the egg from the nest and probably have eaten it.

 

[snorkack]

If these were real dinosaurs I suspect they would have, at the least, removed the egg from the nest and probably have eaten it.

Would dinosaurs suspect?
A lot of birds suffer brood parasitism. Practiced by cuckoos, cowbirds, indigobirds, whydahs, honeyguides, black-headed ducks...
If all birds removed cuckoo eggs from nest, no cuckoo would ever hatch. So obviously some birds don´t.
Did anyone lay eggs in dinosaur nests?

 

[HallsofIvy]

Hey, these dinosaurs are smart! They can talk!

 

[Vanadium 50]

Hey, these dinosaurs are smart! They can talk!

Not the momma! Not the momma!

 

[HallsofIvy]

There you go!

 

[Evo]

Not the momma! Not the momma!

I loved that show. especially the episode where they threw the grandmas off the cliff and slo-mo'd it. Aaaa...aaaa..aaa..

 

[Fervent Freyja]

1. There would be a high chance of it being eaten if it hatched in the T-rex nest. Those dinosaurs hunted young, defenseless prey- not the formidable opponents as media has portrayed.

2. Well, she probably wouldn't be in the vicinity to get first dibs. We believe that males in most dinosaur species probably hatched the nests, while the mother was free to seek food and mate with other males... Daddy T-rex would have instantly determined that the hatchling was edible...

3. Why are they investigating it anyway? Do they want to find a supply of tasty snacks?

4. They might get bored and forget about the eggs, that sort of task requires patience and focus!

 

[256bits]

Here is one of the eggs and the culprit.

 

[snorkack]

2. Well, she probably wouldn't be in the vicinity to get first dibs. We believe that males in most dinosaur species probably hatched the nests, while the mother was free to seek food and mate with other males... Daddy T-rex would have instantly determined that the hatchling was edible...

3. Why are they investigating it anyway? Do they want to find a supply of tasty snacks?

Erm...
How is it identified as to which dinosaur species were brooded by a couple acting together and taking shifts, which by mother and which by father?
Dinosaur hatchlings were edible for predatory dinosaurs, sure. But so were the dinosaurs' own hatchlings, which they obviously did not eat all.
How would a suspicious father tyrannosaur go about investigating whether a specific hatchling in his nest is his own, or correct species but a bastard fathered by another male tyrannosaur, or a completely wrong species cuckoo hatchling?
Do any nest parasites like cuckoos succeed in being raised by big predators like eagles or owls?

 

[Rocco the Stiff]

2. Well, she probably wouldn't be in the vicinity to get first dibs. We believe that males in most dinosaur species probably hatched the nests, while the mother was free to seek food and mate with other males... Daddy T-rex would have instantly determined that the hatchling was edible...

Ah, the scourge of the matriarchate. That's why the asteroid came! :D:D:D

 

[caters]

Well it is actually 2 juveniles that are investigating while the other juvenile is protecting the eggs and the mother is out hunting.

So far the 2 juveniles have asked a brachiosaurus and it said something along these lines:

"No but an Albertosaurus might have laid it since it is a similar size to your T rex eggs."

So now the juveniles are looking for what looks like smaller than usual T rex tracks since Albertosaurus is a tyrannosaur that is smaller than T rex.

Now this doesn't mean that some other sauropod or ceratopsian didn't lay it but the way my logic is, the more closely related it is to T rex, the more likely it is to be accepted in a T rex nest.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

The hatchling has been taking in air from the surroundings. This would include T. rex scent. By the time it hatches it would "smell right".

As for speech, the rex could have a posture-language, body language replacing speech.

As for the egg itself, it could have been left by an alien dinosaur species who were in serious trouble and wanted to give their offspring at least some chance of survival. This could lead to the rex meeting the aliens with the cuckoo being the intermediary. (It would help if the kid was from predator lineage itself.)

 

[tobyr65]

This sounds like a child's book. Do you want a mystery? A how-to identify species learning tool? Do you want to teach something else like the T-Rex pack (human family unit) co-operation? This is important for you to know before you begin. Do you just want to publish a book with your name on it to cross off your bucket list? That's okay. You just need to know your motivation for telling a story.

Within the year of Clinton's first term, I visited the Arkansas State Capitol. In the gift shop I found Telling Your Arkansas Stories by Donald Davis. It is a terrific book on storytelling. Its exercises would work for any genre, targeted age group, etc. It was under 10 dollars and I wanted a souvenir.

I know you want to write not study but, that is the best part of the book. Write any story you want then go back and use the exercises on your story and BHAM! You're done.

For example, one of the prompts is: can you remember a trip you took that you would not want to have to make again? This prompt might make the 2 sibs scouring for the egg owner the main focus of the story as opposed to the 'crisis' of having a basket left on your doorstep. (Which incidentally, the dad T-Rex handled efficiently but not interestingly. If this is a child's book maybe you could dumb him down a bit so the reader has to think what to do. But I'm all advice and no action so feel free to roll your eyes at me. )

I highly recommend you find a book like the one I've listed and have fun with it. Good Luck!