Baby Yingliang

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Baby Yingliang
Catalog no.YLSNHM01266
Common nameBaby Yingliang
Species Oviraptoridae indet.
Age Late Cretaceous
Place discovered Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China

Baby Yingliang (YLSNHM01266) is a remarkably preserved[ tone ] fossil of a dinosaur embryo discovered in Ganzhou, southern China. It was discovered in rock layers of the Hekou Formation, which dates to the Late Cretaceous. The embryo belongs to an oviraptorid theropod dinosaur, and the egg is classified as elongatoolithid. The specimen has been described as one of the best dinosaur embryos ever found. [1] The specimen represents a late-stage embryo preserved in a position similar to those of extant birds, and is the first example of this to be found in a non-avian dinosaur. In birds, this behavior is known as "tucking", and is controlled by the central nervous system. This posture places the head below the body with the feet on either side of the head and the back curled, which aids in successful hatching. [2] [3] However, this interpretation of the specimen has been challenged, with some scientists suggesting that it cannot be directly compared to extant birds.[ clarification needed ] [4]

Life restoration of the oviraptorid Nemegtomaia on a nest Nesting Nemegtomaia.jpg
Life restoration of the oviraptorid Nemegtomaia on a nest

Discovery and description

The egg was discovered in 2000 by the stone mining company Yingliang Group. [5]

The skeleton of Baby Yingliang is approximately 23.5 cm (9.3 in) from head to tail, and is preserved within the confines of a 16.7 by 7.6 cm (6.6 by 3.0 in) egg. The skeleton, deposited at the Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum in China, occupies most of the egg's internal space other than a 1.9 cm (0.75 in) space between the dorsal vertebrae and the blunt pole of the egg. This hollow is thought to be the remains of the egg's air cell, though this inference is unproven. [3]

References

  1. ↑ "Perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo found in China". BBC News. 21 December 2021.
  2. ↑ Ahmed, Issam (2021-12-26). "Perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo was preparing to hatch like a bird". Phys.org. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  3. 1 2 Xing, Lida; Niu, Kecheng; Ma, Waisum; Zelenitsky, Darla K.; Yang, Tzu-Ruei; Brusatte, Stephen L. (2022). "An exquisitely preserved in-ovo theropod dinosaur embryo sheds light on avian-like prehatching postures". iScience. 25 (1) 103516. Bibcode:2022iSci...25j3516X. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.103516. PMC   8786642 . PMID   35106456.
  4. ↑ Deeming DC, Kundrát M (2022). "Interpretation of fossil embryos requires reasonable assessment of developmental age". Paleobiology. 49: 68–76. doi: 10.1017/pab.2022.21 . S2CID   250938817.
  5. ↑ "See a rare baby dinosaur curled up in its fossilized egg". Science. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
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