Dinosaur fossil found sitting on eggs in a nest reveals well-developed parental care
A multinational team recently announced a fossil dinosaur discovery in China that provides new evidence of advanced parental care among at least one group of the earth’s once dominant vertebrate animals. The fossil, dating to 70 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, which ended with the mass dinosaur extinction, consists of the partially preserved remains of an oviraptorosaur, a feathered, theropod dinosaur lineage tangentially related to those that eventually gave rise to modern birds.
Of especial interest is that this animal appears to have been sitting on a brood of at least two dozen eggs. Examination of the embryos preserved in at least seven of the eggs confirmed that they belong to the same group as the adult, strongly implying that the latter was a parent sitting on a nest incubating its offspring.
The Weather Network - Dinosaur fossil atop nest with eggs is world s first, scientists say
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The Weather Network - Dinosaur fossil atop nest with eggs is world s first, scientists say
theweathernetwork.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theweathernetwork.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fossilized dinosaur eggs have been found by paleontologists for centuries. Modern-day dinosaurs – alligators, crocodiles, snapping turtles, birds, etc. – have ben seen sitting on or near nests of eggs. It would seem logical that paleontologists would find fossilized dinosaurs sitting on nests of fossilized eggs about to hatch. Yet that has never been the case … until now.
“This kind of discovery, in essence fossilized behavior, is the rarest of the rare in dinosaurs. 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.”