Abstract
When did nesting behavior and advanced care of young first appear? The microburrow nests of archaeocyathan reef crypt spaces provide the first evidence for: 1, advanced metazoan behavioral complexity, 2, maternal care, 3, nesting behavior, 4, nest site fidelity, 5, evidence for rudimentary eusociality, and 6, evidence for animalian internal fertilization. That such sophisticated behavioral programming appears in the Early Cambrian adds considerably to the perceived magnitude of the Cambrian Explosion.
Eggs were surely life's first love, and protecting one's eggs was surely life's first urge. Love is that ancient, that pure, that lasting.
Sy Montgomery, The Soul of an Octopus
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McMenamin, M.A.S. (2016). Parenting Skills. In: Dynamic Paleontology. Springer Geology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22777-1_12
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