description Roy Chapman Andrews Overview
Roy Chapman Andrews was an American explorer, paleontologist, and naturalist who served as the director of the American Museum of Natural History. He is best known for leading the Central Asiatic Expeditions into the Gobi Desert in Mongolia during the 1920s. During these extensive field surveys, his international crew made landmark paleontological discoveries, including the first scientifically recognized fossilized dinosaur eggs. Andrews documented his expeditions in numerous books, which brought public attention to early 20th-century paleontological fieldwork.
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What did Roy Chapman Andrews's Central Asiatic Expeditions look for?
The American Museum of Natural History expeditions to Mongolia's Gobi Desert aimed partly to find evidence of human ancestors. The teams instead made major finds including Protoceratops, Velociraptor, Oviraptor, and dinosaur eggs during the 1921 to 1930 campaign. [AMNH Archives](https://data.library.amnh.org/archives/agents/corporate_entities/3621)
When and where were the first recognized non-avian dinosaur eggs found?
In 1923, Andrews's team found them at the Flaming Cliffs in the Gobi Desert, in present-day Mongolia. The team initially associated the eggs with Protoceratops because that dinosaur was common at the site. [AMNH](https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/paleontology/going-gobi2/going-gobi-roy-chapman-andrews)
Why was Oviraptor originally called egg robber?
A specimen was found just below a nest of eggs, so Andrews named it Oviraptor, meaning egg robber. Later interpretation suggested that the animal was brooding the eggs rather than stealing them. [AMNH](https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/paleontology/going-gobi2/going-gobi-roy-chapman-andrews)
Did the Central Asiatic Expeditions find ancient human fossils?
No. Finding human ancestors was an original goal, but the expeditions found dinosaur, mammal, and other vertebrate fossils instead. [AMNH](https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/ology-cards/024-central-asiatic-expedition?view=modal)
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