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Headline News
80 Million year old dinosaur eggs discovered
Dateline: Patagonia, Argentina
September, 28, 2001
As difficult as it is to imagine, 80 million year old, fossilized Dinosaur eggs and their embryos have been discovered.
Some people can really keep a secret. Ask 'Luis Chiappe,' the Associate Curator and Chairman of the Department of Vertebrae Paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
In 1997, traveling in an area 600 miles southwest of Buenos Aires, 'Chiappe' discovered the largest nesting site of Dinosaur eggs. From the time of the discovery until 2001, 'Chiappe' and his research teams were carefully examining
the samples, making certain that proper identification was made, before releasing details. What makes this discovery so exciting, rare and unusual is the fact that these eggs contain actual embryos, frozen in time.
Not only are fossilized dinosaur embryos rare, this site contains an overwhelming number of 'clutches' or nests. These nests cover approximately an area five miles, contain 15 to 40 eggs each and are spread out five to ten feet
apart.
The consensus is that these baby dinosaurs belonged to the ancient family group of giants known as titanosaurs a member of the sauropod
dinosaur type. While this may be complicated, it appears that these specific embryos are from a previously unknown species. It is thought that these babies were distantly related to argentinosaurs. These
dinosaurs were thought to be the largest animal to ever trod on Earth. They weighed over 80 tons and were 120 feet long!
These eggs are about the size of softballs, the shell is rather thin, approximately one-tenth of an inch thick. Why were these eggs not hatched? Why were they not able to survive?
It seems that their parents misjudged where they laid these eggs. It is known that this type of dinosaurs preferred to
start their nursery on flood plains. The best estimate of how the cycle of life worked, was as follows. The dinosaurs
would dig a hole, lay their eggs in clusters with as many as two or three layers on top of each other. The nests were
then covered with vegetation and the adults would leave, letting Mother Nature take it's course. In this instance, the
nursery was too close to a river channel and this resulted in flooding. Unfortunately, these embryos drowned in their shells, they never had a chance. This occurred 80 million years ago. The series of floods buried the eggs in mud,
which explains why the research team was able to locate the fossilized eggs and embryos. While devastating for the species, the mud preserved this huge nursery and are allowing us to learn more about these giants that walked
before man.
'Chiappe' reports that portions of adult fossil fragments were found nearby. Based on all evidence to date, these
embryos, had they matured and hatched would have grown to 50 feet in length. This process averaged 15 to 20 years, indicating that these giants grew very quickly.
While most of the world is just learning about this rare discovery, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has had these delicate eggs and their precious cargo on display since last May. The exhibit will end on October 8,
2001, however the exhibit will travel across the United States. Eventually, the eggs, the rare peek into the past, will be returned to a permanent display in Argentina.
Nancy, Director of Operations, Editor
Eggs hold babies of giant dinosaurs
http://www.msnbc.com/news/634804.asp?pne=msn&cp1=1
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