A researcher from University of Birmingham, Fion Waisum Ma and his colleagues found a perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo fossil of Oviraptorosaur from 66 million years ago in Ganzhou city of Jiangxi Province in southern China. Researchers named the Oviraptorosaur fossil “Baby Yingliang” after they found it. Researchers stated that they found the fossil in a posture that its head lay below its body with its feet on either side, and it’s back curved forward position which is unseen on a dinosaur before however similar to modern birds. Mr. Ma stated that this is one of the best preserved dinosaur fossil ever found so far.
“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,” Professor Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh said. Researchers indicate that little fossil’s age is between 72 and 66, and it’s been believed that fossil was probably preserved by a mudslide that buried it thus protected it from scavengers for ages. Also researchers pointed out that if the little fossil alive, it could be high as between 2 and 3 meters.
While its name meaning “egg thief lizards”, Oviraptorosaurs were feathered dinosaurs that lived in Asia and North America during the Late Cretaceous period. Baby Yingliang that measures about 27cm long from its head to tail, and lies inside a 17cm long egg, exhibited at the Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum in China.