2017-03-12 14:00:51
What was the incubation period for dinosaur eggs? This question has until recently been considered impossible to answer. It has only been possible to make an estimate based on the incubation periods of birds of different sizes, from the hummingbird to the ostrich. Considering that the fossilized dinosaur eggs that have been recovered vary from 0.42 to 5.63 kilograms in weight, it has been estimated that their incubation period varied from 45 to 80 days, depending on the species of these reptiles.
However, an alternative method has recently been discovered for calculating the incubation period, or pregnancy period, for any animal born with teeth. It involves counting the number of so-called Ebner lines on the teeth of the developing embryo. Ebner lines reflect the daily changes in the mineralization process that takes place during tooth development, and their number therefore indicates the number of days the tooth has been growing.
In the case of dinosaurs, the embryos already developed teeth before hatching, so determining the number of these lines in fossil embryos can give an idea of the incubation periods.
Researchers from the universities of Florida (USA) and Calgari (Canada) are studying the fossil embryos of two species of dinosaurs: Protoceratops andrewsi, a dinosaur similar in size to a lion or a tiger, and Hypacrosaurus stebingeri, a dinosaur of three meters high and nine long.
After analyzing the teeth of several fossil embryos, the researchers found that the incubation period for P. andrewsi was 83 days, while that of H. stebingeri was about 171 days, that is, almost six months.
More information on Jorge Laborda’s Blog: Eggs, teeth and the extinction of the dinosaurs
Referencias: Gregory M. Ericksona et al. (2016). Dinosaur incubation periods directly determined from growth-line counts in embryonic teeth show reptilian-grade development. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1613716114
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