Sauropod dinosaur embryos from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia

摘要: Definitive non-avian dinosaur embryos, those contained inside fossil eggs, are rare1,2. Here we describe the first known unequivocal embryonic remains of sauropod dinosaurs—the only embryos from Gondwana—from a nesting ground in Upper Cretaceous stage Patagonia, Argentina. At this new site, Auca Mahuevo (Fig. 1), thousands eggs distributed over an area greater than 1 km2. The proportion containing is high: dozen situ and nearly 40 egg fragments encasing material were recovered. In addition to bone, these specimens contain large patches skin casts, definitive portions integument ever reported for embryo. As morphology enclosing osseous integumentary identical, propose that belong same species. This discovery allows confident association megaloolithid type eggshell3 with dinosaurs.