The smallest fully intact dinosaur egg ever discovered has been discovered in a remote area of China.
The egg, just over an inch long, was one of six dinosaur eggs found in a fully preserved nest from the Late Cretaceous period.
The small size of the eggs, their irregular arrangement, their worm-like and knobby patterning, and the thickness of the shell indicate that they are unlike any other known predatory dinosaur.
This fossil represents an important discovery that could shed light on dinosaur reproductive habits and diversity.
Researchers at the China University of Geosciences recovered six dinosaur eggs from a construction site in Ganzhou in 2021, which is known as one of the “richest egg fossil sites in the world.”
The team studied the fossils for three years before confirming that they were dinosaur eggs and determined that they belonged to a new species called Minioolithus ganzhouensis.
The researchers plan to conduct further studies that they hope will shed light on the type of dinosaur from which the egg came and what this type looked like.
Researchers in China have discovered a rare fossil of a dinosaur egg dating back 80 million years, which is the smallest fossil ever found. The egg, just 1.1 inches long, belongs to a new species of dinosaur that could help paleontologists understand their reproductive habits and species diversity.
Researchers reported that they discovered the new egg at a construction site in the city of Milin, located along the perimeter of Ganzhou.
A rare, well-preserved nest consisting of six eggs was found at the site, according to Han Fenglou, associate professor of vertebrate paleontology at CUG.
Fenigloo stated that the eggs were from small theropods, a type of carnivorous and predatory dinosaur, including the famous Tyrannosaurus rex.
Their findings were published in the journal Historical Biology last week.
The team used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction to analyze the shell shape and type of decoration.
This type of scanning technology works by directing an electron beam to examine the surface material of an object and create high-resolution images.
Selective backscatter diffraction then scans the SEM results and analyzes the texture and structure of the material to distinguish patterns in the coating.
The technology revealed that the fossil’s size, thickness, pore system and ultrastructure was significantly different from other previously discovered egg fossils.
The egg belongs to the oval-shaped family of dinosaur eggs that are part of the small theropods. This is a type of predatory dinosaur that includes Tyrannosaurus rex
Their findings allowed the researchers to classify the fossils as part of the oval-shaped family of dinosaur eggs.
More research needs to be done to uncover how Minioolithus ganzhouensis species and their reproductive strategies evolved millions of years ago.
The next phase of the research aims to gain “deeper insights into the life and ecology of these ancient creatures,” according to the researchers. Global Times.
The fossil, called the Ganzhou Little Egg, broke the previous record for the smallest egg at 1.3 inches long.
Paleontologists at CUG, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, plan to conduct further research on the tiny Ganzhou egg using a CT scan that uses X-rays to create a 3D model of the egg’s internal structure. .
They hope this process will help them better understand how eggs were formed and determine exactly what type of dinosaur laid them.
It could also reveal new aspects of dinosaur biology and the environmental conditions these species experienced during the Late Cretaceous.
The researchers said in He studies“This discovery increases the diversity of late Cretaceous dinosaur eggs and is important for our understanding of the evolution of theropods in the Late Cretaceous.”
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