By Tim Binnall
A fossilized dinosaur egg containing an impeccably preserved embryo has been unearthed in China and researchers say that it provides an unprecedented look at how the ancient creatures positioned themselves prior to hatching. According to a press release, the remarkable object boasts a rather amazing backstory as it was first discovered back in 2000 and, although it was believed to be a dinosaur egg, wound up sitting in storage at a mining company for around a decade. When scientists finally got their hands on the egg and were able to examine it with modern technology, they were astounded by what they saw.
Contained within the egg is what paleontologist Waisum Ma described as a "beautifully preserved" embryo belonging to a group of bird-like dinosaurs known as oviraptorosaurs. The discovery was particularly enlightening, he explained, because "most known non-avian dinosaur embryos are incomplete with skeletons disarticulated." As such, the complete nature of the new find, dubbed 'Baby Yingliang,' allowed them to observe its bird-like posture which Mu said "had not been recognized in non-avian dinosaurs before." Until now, this tucking position had only been seen displayed by birds, but the newfound embryo suggests that it may actually have originated with the dinosaurs.