Dinosaurs are often thought of as aggressors—giant beasts that dominated our planet for millions of years. But these prehistoric animals almost certainly had a softer side. In the last decade, researchers have gained tantalizing insights into the sex lives and mating habits of these ancient reptiles.

In this episode, Smithsonian contributing writer Riley Black describes new evidence that reveals how and when dinosaurs mated—including ancient behavior recorded in rock, a new theory around dinosaur horns and spikes, and a prehistoric cloaca.

Read Riley's coverage of dinosaurs here and here.

To subscribe to “There’s More to That,” and to listen to past episodes on the sticking power of stories about animal behavior, what happens when the Colorado River goes dry and how asteroid dust might tell us about the origins of life, find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

“There’s More to That” is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. 

From the magazine, our team is Ari Daniel, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly. From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Genevieve Sponsler, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Sandra Lopez Monsalve and Edwin Ochoa. The executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales. 

Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson.
Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Images via by Donald E. Hurlbert for Smithsonian Institution (SI-19-2014), James St. John via Flickr under CC BY 2.0, and public domain.