Perfectly preserved baby dinosaur found inside fossilized egg from 72 million years ago 

Chinese scientists have proclaimed the finding of a perfectly preserved baby dinosaur in Ganzhou. The specimen, which scientists believe was certainly ready to hatch like a chicken. It is certainly one of the most complete dinosaur embryos discovered. The embryo is approximately between 72 to 66 million years old. The fossil gets the name Baby Yingliang.

“It is one of the best dinosaur embryos ever found in history,” Dr. Fion Waisum Ma, a University of Birmingham researcher who co-authored a paper told AFP. The fossilized egg was excavated in Shahe Industrial Park in 2000. And donated to the Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum. Because it was in a room until 2015, the world is only now learning about it. After a staff member noticed bones protruding from the out shell, other members removed the specimen. And made contact with experts from the University of Birmingham to conduct a study.

It is one of the best dinosaur embryos

The egg is approximately 17cm long. And the baby dinosaur curled inside is estimated to be 27cm long from head to tail. If it had lived, it would have grown to be about 2m to 3m long as an adult, according to the researchers. Moreover, finding embryonic dinosaur fossils is extremely rare. With only about a half-dozen sites having such finds. And, according to paleontologists, this is the first time any of them have shown signs of “tucking.” A unique posture is usually followed by baby birds during hatching when the head is under the right arm.

However this week, the results are out in the journal iScience. Baby dinosaur bones are small and certainly fragile. Moreover, their preservation as fossils is rare, according to study co-author Darla Zelenitsky. Making this a very lucky find. “It is an amazing specimen. I have been working on dinosaur eggs for 25 years and have yet to see anything like it,” added Zelenitsky in an email to CNN. 

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