Perfectly preserved dinosaur egg unearths hidden bird-dinosaur connection

WEB DESK: In a remarkable discovery that sheds light on the evolutionary connection between birds and dinosaurs, scientists have unearthed a perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo from a storage cupboard in a Chinese museum.

The 72 million-year-old specimen, dubbed ‘Baby Yingliang,’ belonged to an oviraptorosaur, a group of feathered dinosaurs known for their bird-like features.

The embryo, measuring a mere 27 centimetres long, was discovered in 2015 during a routine check of stored fossils at the Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum in Nan’an, China.

However, it remained untouched for over a decade until a team of researchers from the University of Birmingham and the China University of Geosciences (Beijing) meticulously examined the specimen in 2021.

What caught the researchers’ attention was the embryo’s posture, which resembled that of a modern bird embryo just before hatching.

With its head tucked beneath its body, feet tucked to either side, and back curled along the blunt end of the egg, ‘Baby Yingliang’ exhibited a behaviour known as ‘tucking,’ a crucial prehatching manoeuvre that helps chicks break free from their eggshells.

This discovery represents a significant leap in understanding the evolutionary relationship between dinosaurs and birds.

“This little prenatal dinosaur looks just like a baby bird curled in its egg, which is yet more evidence that many features characteristic of today’s birds first evolved in their dinosaur ancestors,” commented Professor Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh, who was part of the research team.

The exceptional preservation of ‘Baby Yingliang’ and its unique posture provide invaluable insights into the developmental stages of dinosaurs and their evolutionary trajectory towards birds.

This discovery further solidifies the notion that birds are indeed the direct descendants of dinosaurs, highlighting the remarkable transformations that have occurred over millions of years.

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Web Desk