Researchers announce world's first dinosaur preserved sitting on nest of eggs with fossilized babies

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, March 28, 2024


Researchers announce world's first dinosaur preserved sitting on nest of eggs with fossilized babies
An attentive oviraptorid theropod dinosaur broods its nest of blue-green eggs while its mate looks on in what is now Jiangxi Province of southern China some 70 million years ago. Artwork by Zhao Chuang, PNSO.



PITTSBURGH, PA.- A multinational team of researchers has announced a first for the world of paleontology: a dinosaur preserved sitting atop a nest of its own eggs that include fossilized babies inside. The scientific paper describing the discovery was recently published in the journal Science Bulletin. The primary authors are Drs. Shundong Bi, professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and research associate at Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH), and Xing Xu, paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. The research team also includes CMNH co-interim director and lead dinosaur paleontologist Dr. Matt Lamanna. CMNH scientific artist Andrew McAfee produced illustrations for the paper.

“Dinosaurs preserved on their nests are rare, and so are fossil embryos. This is the first time a non-avian dinosaur has been found, sitting on a nest of eggs that preserve embryos, in a single spectacular specimen,” explains Dr. Bi.

The fossil in question is that of an oviraptorosaur, a group of bird-like theropod dinosaurs that thrived during the Cretaceous Period, the third and final time period of the Mesozoic Era (commonly known as the ‘Age of Dinosaurs’) that extended from 145 to 66 million years ago. CMNH’s famous “Chicken from Hell,” Anzu wyliei, is another type of oviraptorosaur. However, whereas Anzu is part of the largely North American oviraptorosaur subgroup Caenagnathidae, the new fossil is a member of another major subgroup, the Oviraptoridae, which has thus far been found only in Asia. The new specimen was recovered from uppermost Cretaceous-aged rocks, some 70 million years old, in Ganzhou City in southern China’s Jiangxi Province.

The fossil consists of an incomplete skeleton of a large, presumably adult oviraptorid crouched in a bird-like brooding posture over a clutch of at least 24 eggs. At least seven of these eggs preserve bones or partial skeletons of unhatched oviraptorid embryos inside. The late stage of development of the embryos and the close proximity of the adult to the eggs strongly suggests that the latter died in the act of incubating its nest, like its modern bird cousins, rather than laying its eggs or simply guarding its nest crocodile-style, as has sometimes been proposed for the few other oviraptorid skeletons that have been found atop nests.




“This kind of discovery—in essence, fossilized behavior—is the rarest of the rare in dinosaurs,” explains Dr. Lamanna. “Though a few adult oviraptorids have been found on nests of their eggs before, no embryos have ever been found inside those eggs. In the new specimen, the babies were almost ready to hatch, which tells us beyond a doubt that this oviraptorid had tended its nest for quite a long time. This dinosaur was a caring parent that ultimately gave its life while nurturing its young.”

The team also conducted oxygen isotope analyses that indicate that the eggs were incubated at high, bird-like temperatures, adding further support to the hypothesis that the adult perished in the act of brooding its nest. Moreover, although all embryos were well-developed, some appear to have been more mature than others, which in turn suggests that oviraptorid eggs in the same clutch might have hatched at slightly different times. This characteristic, known as asynchronous hatching, appears to have evolved independently in oviraptorids and some modern birds.

One other interesting aspect of the new oviraptorid specimen is that the adult preserves a cluster of pebbles in its abdominal region. These are almost certainly gastroliths, or “stomach stones,” rocks that would have been deliberately swallowed to aid the dinosaur in digesting its food. This is the first time that undoubted gastroliths have been found in an oviraptorid, and as such, these stones may provide new insights into the diets of these animals.

Says Dr. Xu, “It’s extraordinary to think how much biological information is captured in just this single fossil. We’re going to be learning from this specimen for many years to come.”










Today's News

January 13, 2021

Rehs Contemporary offers artwork by renowned sports photographer Walter Iooss

Colby College Museum of Art receives collection of more than 500 photographs

Researchers announce world's first dinosaur preserved sitting on nest of eggs with fossilized babies

Colonial Williamsburg receives its most significant American decorative arts bequest in its history

Niger museum is eclectic national 'mirror'

Krannert Art Museum hosts photographer, book artist Bea Nettles for exhibition and artist events

Doyle to auction Old Master paintings and English & Continental furniture

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Verizon launch interactive Virtual art experience

How a Vogue cover created an uproar over Kamala Harris

Cuomo outlines plans to 'bring arts and culture back to life'

Alice Rose George, a 'photographer's dream editor,' dies at 76

PM/AM presents 06: A group exhibition

Exhibition capturing Bhangra through light painting on view online now at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Oklahoma City Museum of Art brings the museum to you with new art kits

RISD Museum announces Interim Director Sarah Ganz Blythe

Highest-graded copy of Michael Jackson's rare 'Moonwalker' Sega Genesis game to be offered at auction

Barry Goldsmith, who escaped, dropped out and came back, dies at 82

Israeli court bans screening of 'Jenin, Jenin' documentary

Alexander Berggruen opens an exhibition of Danny Fox's new paintings

Shpilman Photography Prize awarded to Sara Cwynar

Scottish Contemporary Art Network appoints Moira Jeffrey as its new Director

Romanian director snubs award to protest crisis facing film industry

When Will We Solve Mental Illness?

Important Maintenance Tips for your Solar Panels

Advantages of portable homes

Duck Hunt: The Game - Review on Mimy

7 Things To Consider When Looking For A 3D Printer

When Do You Need To Use A Reciprocating Saw?

Procore Partners With The National Electrical Contractors Association




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful