An artist’s rendition of an oviraptorosaur dinosaur embryo in its egg.
(Photo:Lida Xing)
Back in a land before time, many dinosaurslaid eggs.
With parents guarding their clutches, tiny baby dinosaurs might eventually emerge from incubating embryos.
An artist’s rendition of an oviraptorosaur dinosaur embryo in its egg. (Photo:Lida Xing)
Yet this process is only occasionally captured in the fossil record.
Fossils ofnesting dinosaursatop eggs, or ofcomplete egg embryos, are quite rare.
Later, investigations into the collection identified the egg as what it was.
A graphical abstract comparing the developing dino egg to a a modern chicken. (Photo:Xing et al.)
Further research discovered a shockingly complete, exceptionally well-preserved dinosaur embryo inside.
The specimen is between 66 and 72 million years old.
In fact, the dinosaur’s posture suggests it was close to hatching.
It is a jot down of feathery theropod called an oviraptorosaur, and it’s about 10.6 inches long.
A graphical abstract comparing the developing dino egg to a a modern chicken.
(Photo:Xing et al.)
