Numerous fossils and dinosaur egg traces were accidentally discovered during construction in Wuning County, Jiangxi Province, eastern China.
Dinosaur egg nests excavated in Wuning, China. (Video: Reuters)
Reuters reported on October 14, citing staff member Zhang Lihong from the Wuning County Museum, that the egg nest includes three oval-shaped eggs (two well-preserved, one with a cracked shell) and seven other clearly visible dinosaur egg imprints on the stone. They were discovered by a worker operating an excavator, who subsequently reported the find to local authorities.
“We received a call notifying us that they had found something resembling dinosaur egg fossils and immediately went to the site,” Zhang recounted.
After an in-depth study, archaeologists from the Wuning County Museum confirmed that it was indeed a fossilized dinosaur egg nest, dating back to the late Cretaceous period, approximately 80 million years ago.
Fossilized dinosaur eggs dating back to the late Cretaceous period, approximately 80 million years ago.
Based on the microstructure of the eggshell, Zhang’s team also identified these eggs as Coralloidoolithus type eggs belonging to the Stalicoolithidae family, which have been found in other locations such as Zhejiang and Henan provinces in China.
This new discovery helps fill the fossil gap of dinosaurs in Jiangxi Province and holds significant importance for paleontological research, the distribution status, and the living environment of dinosaurs during the late Cretaceous period.
Currently, the specimens have been taken to the Wuning County Museum for further study and are being considered for exhibition in the near future, Zhang noted.
From the series of discoveries regarding dinosaur egg fossils in recent years, Chinese scientists have observed a continuous decline in dinosaur diversity occurring at the end of the Cretaceous.
