An exquisitely preserved dinosaur embryo, known as “Baby Yingliang,” has been found inside a fossilized egg in the Late Cretaceous rocks of Ganzhou, southern China. Estimated to be between 66 and 72 million years old, this remarkable discovery sheds light on the evolutionary link between modern birds and their dinosaur ancestors.
The embryo, thought to be a toothless theropod dinosaur or oviraptorosaur, exhibits a posture that is strikingly similar to that of modern bird embryos. This curled position, with the head beneath the body and feet on either side, hints that prehatching behaviors seen in birds today may have originated in their dinosaur predecessors.
The discovery was made by a team of researchers from the University of Birmingham and the University of Edinburgh. They highlighted the unique positioning of the embryo, which provides rare insight into the evolutionary connection between ancient dinosaurs and contemporary avian species.
This finding offers new perspectives on the behaviors of dinosaurs and their close relationship with birds, deepening our understanding of the past.
