A team of researchers in the Patagonia region of southern Argentina found a rare dinosaur egg dating back about 70 million years, which was found preserved in an exceptional condition that made it appear as if it had been recently laid.
The egg was found in the Rio Negro region, and its shape resembles an ostrich egg, but preliminary analyzes confirmed that it belonged to a dinosaur from the Bonapartenykus family, a small carnivorous species that lived during the late Cretaceous period.
Researcher Gonzalo Muñoz from the Bernardo Rivadavia Museum of Natural Sciences explained that finding an egg preserved in this condition is a rare event, especially since the eggs of carnivorous dinosaurs are fewer in number than the eggs of herbivorous species, and their thin shell makes them more susceptible to damage over time.
The research team hopes that the egg contains fetal tissue, as it is being prepared for x-ray examinations at the museum as part of an expanded study that includes other finds from the same site. If the presence of embryonic remains is confirmed, this discovery will be one of the most prominent achievements in paleontology in South America, as it will provide a new understanding of the evolution of dinosaurs and the nature of their reproduction.
This discovery is part of the “First Cretaceous Expedition” project, which previously uncovered mammalian teeth and snake vertebrae at the same site, indicating that the area was a natural nesting habitat for dinosaurs tens of millions of years ago.
A video clip showed the moment when team leader Federico Aniolin found the egg on the surface of the earth, where his face showed emotion and surprise at its rare state of preservation. It was also noted that there were broken eggs nearby, which suggests that the site was a complete nesting colony for these ancient creatures.
