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Palaeontology

Pterosaur embryo from the Early Cretaceous

Nature volume 429, page 621 (2004)Cite this article

An impressive fossil discovered in China confirms that pterosaurs were egg-layers.

Abstract

Dinosaur embryos have been discovered all over the world1,2, but so far no pterosaur embryos have been reported. Here we describe a Chinese fossil from the Early Cretaceous period containing an embryo that is unambiguously a pterosaur. The embryonic skeleton, which is exquisitely preserved in its egg, is associated with eggshell fragments, wing membranes and skin imprints. This discovery confirms that pterosaurs were egg-layers and sheds new light on our understanding of pterosaur development.

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Figure 1: Pterosaur embryo inside an egg from the Early Cretaceous period from Liaoning, China (IVPP V13758).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 643, Beijing, 100044, China

    Xiaolin Wang & Zhonghe Zhou

Authors
  1. Xiaolin Wang
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  2. Zhonghe Zhou
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Correspondence to Xiaolin Wang.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Wang, X., Zhou, Z. Pterosaur embryo from the Early Cretaceous. Nature 429, 621 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/429621a

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