The discovery of a fossilized dinosaur fetus preparing to hatch in the manner of birds

The researchers hope that they will be able to study the fetus more precisely by using imaging techniques, in order to reveal its entire skeleton.

Scientists announced Tuesday that they have discovered a stunningly preserved dinosaur embryo, dating back at least 66 million years, preparing to emerge from its egg in the same way as birds.

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The researchers named this fossil of egg-stealing lizards, "Oviraptorosaur", "Baby Yingliang", which was found in the Chinese city of Ganzhou.

Fionn Weism Ma, from the University of Birmingham, co- author of the study published in the journal iScience, said in an interview with AFP that the fossil "is among the best dinosaur embryos." found” to this day.

When the "Bei Yingliang" fossil was found, her back was bent, and her feet were on either side of her head, folded on her stomach. This position was not previously seen in dinosaurs, but it is well known in birds.

When the chicks are preparing to hatch from the egg, they stick their head under one of their wings and pierce the egg with their beak. Embryos that fail to adopt this position face a higher risk of dying due to a failed hatching process.

Wasim Ma explained that "this leads to the belief that the origin of such behavior in modern birds goes back to their ancestors of dinosaurs." As for the alternative, it may be similar to what crocodiles do, which take a sitting position, and only tilt their heads towards their stomachs.

Fossil forgotten for years

Oviraptorosaurs were a type of feathered dinosaur that lived in Asia and North America during the late Cretaceous period. They could have varied shapes and diets, and their sizes ranged from the sizes of apes to the sizes of a gigantic 8 meter long gigantoraptor.

The Yingliang baby is 27 centimeters long from head to tail, and rests in a 17 centimeter egg at the Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum.

Scientists believe that this fossil dates back between 72 and 66 million years, and the fetus may have been preserved in good condition thanks to a layer of clay that shielded it from carrion eaters.

The fetus could have grown to a size of 2 or 3 meters if it reached adulthood, and it would have been fed by plants.

This model belongs to a group that includes a large number of fossilized eggs, which were neglected and remained forgotten for years. The researchers suspected that it might contain dinosaurs, so they broke part of the egg to find "Baby Yingliang".

"This dinosaur embryo, found in its egg, is one of the most beautiful fossils ever," a statement quoted a member of the research team, Professor Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh. He pointed out that the model "just looks like a small bird folded in its egg, which provides further evidence that many of the characteristics of birds today are derived from their dinosaur ancestors."

The researchers hope that they will be able to study the fetus more precisely by using imaging techniques, in order to reveal its entire skeleton.