An oviraptorid preserved atop an embryo-bearing egg clutch sheds light on the reproductive biology of nonavialan theropod dinosaurs - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Science Bulletin Année : 2021

An oviraptorid preserved atop an embryo-bearing egg clutch sheds light on the reproductive biology of nonavialan theropod dinosaurs

Résumé

Recent studies demonstrate that many avialan features evolved incrementally prior to the origin of the group, but the presence of some of these features, such as bird-like brooding behaviours, remains contentious in non-avialan dinosaurs. Here we report the first non-avialan dinosaur fossil known to preserve an adult skeleton atop an egg clutch that contains embryonic remains. The preserved positional relationship of the adult to the clutch, coupled with the advanced growth stages of the embryos and their high estimated incubation temperatures, provides strong support for the brooding hypothesis. Furthermore, embryos in the clutch are at different developmental stages, suggesting the presence of asynchronous hatching—a derived feature even among crown-group birds—in non-avialan theropods. These findings demonstrate that the evolution of reproductive biology along bird-line archosaurs was a complex rather than a linear and incremental process, and suggest that some aspects of non-avialan theropod reproduction were unique to these dinosaurs.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
Bi et al. accepted.pdf (4.86 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)

Dates et versions

hal-03374051 , version 1 (11-10-2021)

Identifiants

Citer

Shundong Bi, Romain Amiot, Claire Peyre de Fabrègues, Michael Pittman, Matthew Lamanna, et al.. An oviraptorid preserved atop an embryo-bearing egg clutch sheds light on the reproductive biology of nonavialan theropod dinosaurs. Science Bulletin, 2021, 66 (9), pp.947-954. ⟨10.1016/j.scib.2020.12.018⟩. ⟨hal-03374051⟩
36 Consultations
213 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More