Image source, AFP
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Researchers say the eggs were probably preserved by a mudslide, which kept them hidden from poachers.
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A group of scientists has announced the discovery of a perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo, almost hatching from its egg in the same position as a chicken.
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The embryo was found in Ganzhou, southern China, and is thought to be at least 66 million years old, according to researchers.
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It is believed the embryo was of a toothless theropod dinosaur, or oviraptosaurus, and was named Baby Yingliang.
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Researcher Dr Fion Waisum Ma said it was “the best dinosaur embryo ever found in history”.
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This finding provides researchers with a clearer understanding of the relationship between dinosaurs and modern birds.
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The fossil shows the embryo in a coiled position known as “tucking“, which is a behavior commonly observed in birds just before hatching.
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“This indicates that similar behavior in modern birds first evolved and originated from their dinosaur ancestors,” Dr Ma told AFP news agency.
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Oviraptorosaurus, meaning “egg-stealing lizard”, was a feathered dinosaur that lived in what is now Asia and North America during the Late Cretaceous period – between 100 million and 66 million years ago.
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Paleontologist Prof Steve Brusatte, who was also a member of the research team, tweeted that this was “one of the most beautiful dinosaur fossils” he had ever seen, and that the embryo was just a few days away.
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Image source, AFP/ University of Birmingham
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Illustration of a dinosaur curled up in an egg.
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Baby Yingliang, who measures 27cm from head to tail, and is inside a 17cm long egg, is currently being placed in the Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum in China.
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These eggs were first discovered in 2000, but then stored for 10 years.
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It was only when there was work on building a museum and the old fossils were rearranged that researchers began to take a closer look at the egg, suspecting that it contained an embryo.
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Part of the dinosaur’s body is still covered in dirt, and researchers will use state-of-the-art scanning techniques to create a full image of the bones.
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You may be interested in watching this video:
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