I just read this headline in a science email: "Some dinosaurs sat on their eggs just like birds do." That sentence is loaded with potential humor. Super-tough egg shells? If so, how did the little guys get out?
"A fossilised oviraptor found on top of a clutch of eggs confirms that at least some dinosaurs sat on or near their eggs to keep them warm as birds do. Oviraptors were bird-like dinosaurs around 2 metres long, including the tail, and several specimens have previously been found on or near clutches of eggs. But some researchers argue that the oviraptors found on nests died while laying or guarding their eggs rather than while brooding them. Now a team led by Xing Xu at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing has described and analysed a fossil found near Ganzhou city in China. It consists of the partial remains of an adult oviraptor on top of at least 24 eggs, many of which have embryos inside. The eggs contain late-stage embryos that developed at temperatures of up to 38°C, providing strong evidence that the eggs were being brooded, not just guarded."
NewScientist (from England)
I think ostriches sit on their eggs too. Bear in mind that a 2 m long dinosaur is mostly tail.
There are other interesting finds. One is in Montana at a geological site known as Egg Mountain. There, abundant nests of hadrosaur dinosaurs are found. These are duck-billed Dinos, and they were big. It seems that they were nesting in that area, side by side, in a kind of rookery. Here is a link:
https://www.nps.gov/articles/mesozoic-egg-mountain-dawson-2014.htm
Yes, interesting. Known of this for sometime via other sources over some years. Yes, Ostriches, Cassowary, Emu and other huge birds sit on their eggs. It also is possible that Dinosaurs or at least some were
warm-blooded similarly to Birds and Mammals. Dinosaurs were likely a separate Class from Reptiles with many amazing adaptations. Take it from one trained as a Biologist.
Indi
Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.
I read that modern birds are descendant of dinosaurs. They compared skulls and found many similarities.
I if I remember correctly, several years ago scientists modified the genes of a chicken and grew a dinosaur tail. The chicken was not viable.
Indi wrote:
I read that modern birds are descendant of dinosaurs. They compared skulls and found many similarities.
I if I remember correctly, several years ago scientists modified the genes of a chicken and grew a dinosaur tail. The chicken was not viable.
Birds are thought to be descended from a group of bi-pedal predatory dinosaurs. So in that sense, dinosaurs are at your bird feeder.
There are fossils of several species that show feathers, probably for insulation, as they could not fly. Then there are fossils that are 'mid-way' between dinosaurs and birds, like this famous example:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx This one could probably fly, although not strongly.
Indi
Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.
Mark Sturtevant wrote:
Birds are thought to be descended from a group of bi-pedal predatory dinosaurs. So in that sense, dinosaurs are at your bird feeder.
There are fossils of several species that show feathers, probably for insulation, as they could not fly. Then there are fossils that are 'mid-way' between dinosaurs and birds, like this famous example:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx This one could probably fly, although not strongly.
Thanks! I thought I was on the right track.
joecichjr
Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA
I really enjoy all this knowledge that is available to us these days
It's so good to be informed about life
joecichjr wrote:
I really enjoy all this knowledge that is available to us these days
It's so good to be informed about life
I learn something here every day.
jerryc41 wrote:
I just read this headline in a science email: "Some dinosaurs sat on their eggs just like birds do." That sentence is loaded with potential humor. Super-tough egg shells? If so, how did the little guys get out?
"A fossilised oviraptor found on top of a clutch of eggs confirms that at least some dinosaurs sat on or near their eggs to keep them warm as birds do. Oviraptors were bird-like dinosaurs around 2 metres long, including the tail, and several specimens have previously been found on or near clutches of eggs. But some researchers argue that the oviraptors found on nests died while laying or guarding their eggs rather than while brooding them. Now a team led by Xing Xu at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing has described and analysed a fossil found near Ganzhou city in China. It consists of the partial remains of an adult oviraptor on top of at least 24 eggs, many of which have embryos inside. The eggs contain late-stage embryos that developed at temperatures of up to 38°C, providing strong evidence that the eggs were being brooded, not just guarded."
NewScientist (from England)
I just read this headline in a science email: &qu... (
show quote)
That answers the age old question of 'Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg'?
Virgil wrote:
That answers the age old question of 'Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg'?
The Rooster always comes first.
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