A team of paleontologists, geoscientists and evolutionary specialists affiliated with multiple institutions in China has found that a fossilized egg unearthed in 2021 is the smallest dinosaur egg ever found. In their paper published in the journal Historical Biology, the group describes where the eggs were found, the techniques used to study them, and what the researchers learned about them.
Prior to this new find, the smallest dinosaur egg ever found was 45.5 mm by 40.4 mm by 34.4 mm. The smallest of the new eggs uncovered in this new effort has a length of just 29 mm—it was also the most complete of the group discovered.
The eggs were found at a construction site near the city of Ganzhou in 2021 in southeast China—the region is known to paleontologists as one of the best in the world for finding dinosaur eggs. Six eggs were fossilized together, forming a single unit. All were in relatively good condition.
After three years of careful analysis, which included use of an electron microscope, the research team found that the creatures inside the eggs were from a non-avian therapod. They also found evidence that they belonged to an unknown ootaxon, which the team has named Minioolithus ganzhouensis. The team has also dated the eggs to 80 million years ago, putting them in the Late Cretaceous.
The researchers used electron backscatter diffraction techniques to gain an overall image of both the egg shells and the creatures inside of them. They state that all their study techniques thus far have been nondestructive—the eggs are still in the same condition in which they were found.
The research team plans to continue studying the eggs, including a new analysis of the discovery site, which was well preserved—it has already provided new information regarding how dinosaurs built their nests. The researchers are hoping to figure out which sort of dinosaur laid them, and from there, to learn more about the formation process as dinosaurs grew inside their eggs. They also suspect they might be able to learn more about the dinosaur reproductive process in general.
More information: Rui Wu et al, The smallest known complete dinosaur fossil eggs from the Upper Cretaceous of South China, Historical Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2024.2409873
Journal information: Historical Biology
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