Egg thief lizard
A fossil of a dinosaur about to hatch.
Scientists have announced the discovery of a perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo that was preparing to hatch from its egg, just like a chicken.
Perfectly preserved skeleton, that is.
The researchers say it’s 66 million years old or more.
The discovery has also given researchers a greater understanding of the link between dinosaurs and modern birds. The fossil shows the embryo was in a curled position known as “tucking”, which is a behaviour seen in birds shortly before they hatch.
And the James Webb telescope lifts off tomorrow.
I have a few very nice fossils on my desk, but this… I am envy.
I know. A wee dino chick! Want!
Yes, a wee dino chick! Isn’t it beautiful, and at the same time extraordinarily sad?
Yes, poor little mite. On the other hand it’s an oviraptorosaur so it would have grown up to eat far more poor little mites so…nature’s a bastard, as Darwin said.
But then I think of all the poor little mites who have slid down my gullet, and I wonder…!
Quite so!