Scientists recently announced the finding of an excellently preserved dinosaur embryo dating back at least 66 million years, which was about to hatch from its egg like a chicken. The toothless theropod dinosaur, or oviraptorosaur, was discovered in Ganzhou, southern China, and was christened “Baby Yingliang” by the researchers.
Fion Waisum Ma, a University of Birmingham researcher who co-authored an article in the journal iScience, told AFP, “It is one of the best dinosaur embryos ever found in history.”
According to Ma and colleagues, Baby Yingliang’s head was located below its body, with its feet on either side or its back curled, a posture not before seen in dinosaurs but comparable to modern birds, according to Ma and colleagues. The habit is known as “tucking” in birds and is controlled by the central nervous system.
Chicks who are about to hatch bury their heads under their right wing to keep their heads stable while cracking the shell with their beak.
