Beijing, China

Scientists have discovered the smallest ever fossil dinosaur egg at a construction site in Ganzhou, China which is providing new information regarding the evolution of the extinct reptile. Ganzhou is known as one of the "richest egg fossil sites in the world."

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The fossilised egg was unearthed by a team of palaeontologists, geoscientists and evolutionary specialists in 2021 and is the smallest dinosaur egg ever found. 

The research paper was published in the journal Historical Biology and the researchers spoke about where they found the eggs, what techniques were used and what they learned. 

One of those eggs, which measured more than one inch long, was found fully preserved and belonged to the Late Cretaceous period.

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The small size of the eggs, "irregular egg arrangement, worm-like and nodular ornamentation," and thickness of the shell hinted that they most probably did not belong to other known predatory dinosaurs. 

This fossil egg can become a significant discovery which can provide more information on the reproduction habits and diversity of the dinosaurs. 

Also Read: Giant carnivorous dinosaurs roamed freezing Australian region when it was part of Antarctica

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For three years, the team looked into the fossils before they confirmed that they were dinosaur eggs and belonged to a new species called Minioolithus ganzhouensis. 

How did researchers study dinosaur eggs?

“We report a partial egg clutch with six complete small eggs from the Upper Cretaceous Tangbian Formation of Ganzhou City,” said the study.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction were used by the team to analyse the shape of the shell and its ornamentation.

Researchers are planning to conduct more studies that they hope will shed light on the type of dinosaur the egg came from and what the species looked like.

This suggests they were laid by a new species from the group of four-legged dinosaurs called theropods. “The egg morphology and eggshell microstructure support it to be the smallest known non-avian theropod egg up to date,” the new study states.

The eggs have now been classified in a new category known as Minioolithus ganzhouensis.

“This discovery increases the diversity of dinosaur eggs in the Late Cretaceous and is significant for our understanding of the evolution of theropods in the Late Cretaceous,” noted the study.

The researchers have planned to further study the site where the fossil eggs were discovered and to decode everything about the dinosaur that laid them. 

(With inputs from agencies)