Dinosaurs are one of those species that have never been seen in real life by anyone; everyone has grown up seeing dinosaurs only in movies like Jurassic Park and reading about them in school books or novels. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the biological reality of dinosaurs is that they were last seen on Earth approximately 66 million years ago after living on this planet for about 165 million years. But now, on the cliffs of Santa Cruz beach located in the municipality of Torres Vedras (Lisbon district), Portugal, a nest containing 10 dinosaur eggs have found after 150 million years.This remarkable finding was made by Carlos Natário, an associate researcher at the Centre for Research in Paleobiology and Paleoecology (Ci2Paleo), which works under the Torres Vedras Natural History Society (SHN) in Torres Vedras, Portugal. Their preliminary observations indicate that the hatchlings successfully emerged from the eggs millions of years ago. However, researchers believe traces of unborn baby dinosaurs (embryos) may still be preserved in some of the shells inside.
10 intact dinosaur eggs were uncovered in a 150-million-year-old nesting site
Inside the cliffs of Santa Cruz Beach in Torres Vedras, Portugal, researchers found a very rare thing from the Upper Jurassic era. A tiny nest containing 10 dinosaur eggs, which undoubtedly offers a very rare glimpse into the prehistoric life from 150 million years ago. One of the most scientifically significant findings is that the eggs were not moved by any ancient floods or natural disasters. These eggs are found in the nesting pattern only, which gives an idea that the Jurassic predator must have chosen the riverbank location to lay its eggs. According to the team at Ci2Paleo, several specific conditions had to be met at the exact moment the eggs were laid:
- Researchers found the eggs in a granular sandstone, which confirms that the predator likely laid the eggs on a riverbank. This soft sand helped the eggs to stay gently buried by natural sediment shortly after they were laid.
- One of the major findings in the Torres Vedras Natural History Society (SHN) report is that the eggs were not moved by water. In such cases, eggs get vanished by floods or any other natural disaster. Scientists believe that they were fossilised at the same location where the mother left them. No movement in the eggs helped them in remaining intact rather than becoming a pile of fragments.
From fossils to CT scans
The moment eggs were discovered at Santa Cruz Beach was just the announcement; now the heavy sandstone block containing the nest has been taken to the Torres Vedras Natural History Society (SHN) laboratory for a “virtual excavation.” To understand and read the eggs from the inside without harming them, researchers perform CT scans. This non-harming advanced technique allows scientists to have a high-resolution 3D model of the interior.
The goal of the CT scans is to resolve two major scientific mysteries
- Many of the eggs showed signs that the babies inside the eggs had successfully emerged; there may still be signs of embryonic bone.
- By measuring the structure from inside and the microscopic porosity of the shells, researchers can find out which Jurassic predator laid the eggs.
What kind of dinosaur laid these eggs
As of now, the exact species is still unknown as it’s under analysis. Preliminary studies of eggshells strongly suggest that eggs belong to a carnivorous theropod. The eggs are small in size, measuring barely 5 centimetres in diameter. These are the two-legged predators of the Jurassic era. As the eggs are found in a three-dimensional nest, this specific type of nesting behavior common in meat-eating dinosaurs.
