An exquisitely preserved dinosaur embryo has been discovered by scientists in China, BBC News reports.
As detailed in a press release by the University of Birmingham, the fossilized dinosaur egg is believed to be 72- to 66 million years old, and scientists believe the discovery can help shine new light on the link between dinosaurs and modern birds.
The embryo has been named "Baby Yingliang" and its position has been described as being like a chicken preparing to hatch from its egg.
It was discovered in Ganzhou, southern China, and was found amid a Late Cretaceous rock formation. The species of dinosaur has been identified as a toothless theropod dinosaur, or oviraptorosaur. The egg measures 17cm long, with the creature inside estimated to be 27cm (10.6in) long.
What makes this discovery so special is that it is one of the most complete dinosaur embryos ever to be unearthed, and reveals how some species of dinosaurs developed postures inside their eggs similar to that of modern-day birds.
Baby Yingliang's head can be seen lying below its body, with its feet on either side and the back curled along the blunt end of the egg. This position is referred to as "tucking" in relation to modern birds, and Birmingham University describes the positioning as "critical for hatching success".
The research team behind the discovery was made up of scientists from the University of Birmingham and China University of Geosciences in Beijing. The team published their findings in the interdisciplinary open access journal Science.
The embryo is currently being housed at the Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum in China's coastal city Xiamen.
Speaking of the discovery, joint first author and PhD researcher at the University of Birmingham Fion Waisum Ma said: "Dinosaur embryos are some of the rarest fossils and most of them are incomplete with the bones dislocated.
"We are very excited about the discovery of 'Baby Yingliang' - it is preserved in a great condition and helps us answer a lot of questions about dinosaur growth and reproduction with it."
"It is interesting to see this dinosaur embryo and a chicken embryo pose in a similar way inside the egg, which possibly indicates similar prehatching behaviors," Ma added.
Additionally, research team member Professor Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh said as part of the press release: “This dinosaur embryo inside its egg is one of the most beautiful fossils I have ever seen.
"This little prenatal dinosaur looks just like a baby bird curled in its egg, which is yet more evidence that many features characteristic of today’s birds first evolved in their dinosaur ancestors."
