Mar 10, 2021 11:00 PM
(This post was last modified: Mar 10, 2021 11:04 PM by C C.)
https://newatlas.com/biology/fossilized-...s-embryos/
INTRO: While we've seen fossilized dinosaur eggs and embryos before, paleontologists have now discovered an unprecedented three-for-one – a fossilized dinosaur parent sitting on a nest of eggs, in which embryos are present.
Unearthed in southern China's Jiangxi Province, the fossils include the partial skeleton of a presumably adult oviraptorosaur, which is "crouched in a bird-like brooding posture" over a batch of approximately 24 eggs. Within at least seven of those eggs, bones or partial skeletons of unhatched embryos are present.
Oviraptorosaurs were feathered dinosaurs that existed 145 to 66 million years ago – the new specimen was found amongst rocks approximately 70 million years old. Boosting the theory that the creatures were bird-like, it was noted that the parent was still in close proximity to the eggs, even though the embryos were in the late stages of development. This suggests that it was incubating the eggs right up until it died, unlike some other dinosaurs that simply laid their eggs then left them... (MORE - including image)
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/2HQi011roS0
INTRO: While we've seen fossilized dinosaur eggs and embryos before, paleontologists have now discovered an unprecedented three-for-one – a fossilized dinosaur parent sitting on a nest of eggs, in which embryos are present.
Unearthed in southern China's Jiangxi Province, the fossils include the partial skeleton of a presumably adult oviraptorosaur, which is "crouched in a bird-like brooding posture" over a batch of approximately 24 eggs. Within at least seven of those eggs, bones or partial skeletons of unhatched embryos are present.
Oviraptorosaurs were feathered dinosaurs that existed 145 to 66 million years ago – the new specimen was found amongst rocks approximately 70 million years old. Boosting the theory that the creatures were bird-like, it was noted that the parent was still in close proximity to the eggs, even though the embryos were in the late stages of development. This suggests that it was incubating the eggs right up until it died, unlike some other dinosaurs that simply laid their eggs then left them... (MORE - including image)