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First Pterosaur Embryo Fossil Discovered

Posted by timothy on from the sounds-like-an-omelet dept.

blamanj writes "A fossil embryo, preserved in an almost complete egg was found in the sediment of a lake in Liaoning in northeastern China. The Liaoning embryo has a wingspan of 10.6 inches, indicating that the embryo would have grown up into a medium-to-large pterosaur."

5 of 35 comments (clear)

  1. Dinosaurs Among Us? by Ieshan · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Interested parties might want to check out the following article from Avian Visual Cognition: Dinosaurs Among Us?

    This article is a discussion of avian evolution from an avian physiology expert and the possible "bird-dinosaur" connection.

    Very interesting stuff.

  2. bird-dinosaur link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Assuming birds are the ancestors of dinosaurs, does anyone here know why the would have been better able to survive the extinction event 65m years ago? I don't imagine they would be able to fly high enough to avoid the dust cover that enveloped the earth.

    1. Re:bird-dinosaur link by Bitsy+Boffin · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Flight allows the animal to increase it's range greatly, more range = more available food sources.

      At a time when food is scarce, small winged animals who don't need much food have a distinct advantage over huge behemoths who eat a truckload with every mouthfull.

      Remember - bigger != better.

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  3. Says who, exactly? by Pi_0's+don't+shower · · Score: 3, Interesting
    The Liaoning embryo has a wingspan of 10.6 inches, indicating that the embryo would have grown up into a medium-to-large pterosaur.
    While I agree that this is one possible conclusion, is there anywhere where it has evidence as to what stage of embryonic development this dinosaur is currently at? For instance, at varying stages of embryonic development, a human fetus has gills, fins, and wings. Someone viewing a gilled human fetus might even go as far as to mis-classify it. My question is, how sure are we that this is actually the dinosaur we think it is, and not some later evolutionary descendent?
  4. Any hope of Jurassic Park? by TJ_Phazerhacki · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Interesting thought - the development of dinosaurs has not really been studied to my limited knowledge. Any hope of examining dinosaur "Stem Cells", possibally contributing more to the overall study of Jurassic genetics than has so far been found?

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