Dinosaur egg found to contain 72-million-year-old embryo

Record ID: 1652228

  • Title: Dinosaur egg found to contain 72-million-year-old embryo
  • Date: 22nd December 2021
  • Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (DECEMBER 22, 2021) (Reuters) (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEAD AUTHOR OF STUDY ON DINOSAUR EMBRYO AT UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, FION WAISUM MA, SAYING: "So in modern day birds they have a unique behaviour call tucking. So starting from day 17, they will curl their body up with its head in between its legs and then on 18 day, 19 day, until day 20, it will start moving into a final tucking posture that is putting the right weight on top of it's head and this posture was suggested to help the birds stabilise when they try to crack the egg shell using its beak. And this behaviour has long been thought unique to birds but now we see evidence in our fossil that even in non-bird dinosaurs, they might have the same type of pre-hatching behaviour."
  • Embargoed: 5th January 2022 13:01
  • Keywords: China University of Geoscience Dinosaur fossil Fion Waisum Ma University of Birmingham dinosaur egg embryo paleontology
  • Location: ANIMATION/ HONG KONG, CHINA
  • City: ANIMATION/ HONG KONG, CHINA
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Europe,Science
  • Reuters ID: LVA006F94DZD3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A 72-million-year-old dinosaur embryo has been discovered inside a fossilised egg that scientists describe as one of the best-preserved specimens of its kind ever found.
    The embryo, dubbed 'Baby Yingliang', was discovered in Ganzhou in southern China. It belongs to a toothless theropod dinosaur, or oviratorosaur, and is 72 to 66 million years old.
    Scientists from the University of Birmingham in the UK and the China University of Geosciences in Beijing observed the embryo in a "tucking" position, which was previously thought to be the pre-hatching behaviour of birds.
    "This behaviour has long been thought unique to birds but now we see evidence in our fossil that even in non-bird dinosaurs they might have the same type of pre-hatching behaviour," said Fion Waisum Ma, a joint lead author of the study from Birmingham University.
    The fossilised egg was discovered in late cretaceous rock in 2000 but scientists have been examining it over the past four years, when the embryo inside was found. The findings of the study were published on Tuesday (December 21).
    (Production: Lucy Marks)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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