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Oldest Dino Embryos Found (Massospondylus)

  • 14-11-2010 10:59am
    #1
    Galvasean
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭


    The oldest dinosaur embryos (early Jurassic some 190million years ago) have been found. They appear to belong to the prosauropod dinosaur Massospondylus. The embryos themselves are under 8 inches long (adults grew to over 16 feet) and have characteristics synonymous with being 'babyish' or 'cute'.
    To some extent, these dinosaurs then developed as humans do today. The infancy is "awkward," as the researchers put it, and a more erect stance and evenly-proportioned body only comes later. Additionally, the embryos lack teeth. With the awkward body proportions, it's then likely that the hatchlings would have required parental care. If that's the case, these fossils also document the oldest record of parental care, according to the paleontologists.

    “This project opens an exciting window into the early history and evolution of dinosaurs,” says Reisz. “Prosauropods are the first dinosaurs to diversify extensively, and they quickly became the most widely spread group, so their biology is particularly interesting as they represent in many ways the dawn of the age of dinosaurs.”

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