The embryo is 66 million years old – Science – Kommersant

by time news

Fossilized dinosaur eggs have been found quite often in the past hundred years, but their preservation usually leaves much to be desired. A Canadian-Chinese group of paleontologists got the opportunity to work with an egg containing an oviraptorosaurus embryo in almost perfect condition.

The find was made back in 2000 – employees of the Yingliang Group, which is engaged in the extraction of decorative stone, saw in a small chip on an oval-shaped stone something similar to fossilized bones. However, for another ten years, the egg was stored simply in a warehouse. He was remembered again when the company decided to create its own museum of the history of stone.

The value of the find became apparent, the company gave the fetus its name – Tiny Yingliang, and the researchers gained access to the egg.

The embryo belongs to the bird-like dinosaur Oviraptorosaurus, which is part of the theropod group, from one of the branches of this group, which consisted of small lizards, birds actually originated.

Of particular interest to paleontologists was the pose in which the embryo is located. It is known about modern birds that their chicks, which are in the egg, have a certain freedom of movement. They use this freedom to prepare for hatching. It is critically important for the embryo, by the time it is time to leave the egg, to rest its back on the air cushion at its blunt end, position its head between the wings and direct the beak straight down. Other descendants of theropods, for example crocodiles, cannot do this: their embryos inside the egg take a sitting position with the head bowed to the chest.

The next step is the study of the anatomy of the embryo, paleontologists expect interesting discoveries. This can only be prevented by the fact that some of the fossilized bones are firmly attached to the stones.

The egg was found in a quarry in the Heku Formation – geochronologically, it belongs to the Maastricht Stage of the Upper Cretaceous. Thus, the embryo is in no way less than 66 million years old.

Based on the article “An Exquisitely Preserved In-ovo Theropod Dinosaur Embryo Sheds Light on Avian-like Prehatching Postures”; Lida Xing, Kecheng Niu, Waisum Ma, Darla K. Zelenitsky, Tzu-Ruei Yang, Stephen L. Brusatte; iScience magazine, December 2021

Leonty Krivov

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