Baby Dinosaur Fossils Discovered At 'Dragon's Tomb' in Mongolia

A group of perinatal specimens, otherwise known as baby dinosaur fossils, were discovered at "Dragon's Tomb" in Mongolia, which is a known area for finding Late Cretaceous Period dinosaur fossils.

Scientist Leonard Dewaele from Ghent University and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Belgium and colleagues revealed that there were three or four perinatal specimens and two associated eggshell fragments. The nest was located in the sand of a riverbank, initially. The specimens were Saurolophus angustirostris (lizard crest), a giant hadrosaur dinosaur which is a popular for its well-preserved complete skeletons, according to a news release.

The skull length of the Saurolophus samples indicated that specimens were in the earliest development stages. The perinatal bones had similar characteristics to Saurolophus angustirostris, according to the researchers.

The specimens did not have the characteristic cranial crest at the top of the head and the areas of the skull - the cervical neural arches had not taken shape yet. This showed the researchers that the specimens were in their early development stages.

"The poorly developed crest in Saurolophus babies provides evidence of ontogenetic crest growth within the Saurolophini tribe. The Saurolophini are the only Saurolophinae to bear supra cranial crests as adults," said Dewaele.

The scientists were unable to detect whether the dinosaurs were still in the eggs or if they were just hatched when they died. They claimed that the specimens were dead and decomposed when they were buried by river sediments, most likely during the wet summer season.

The fossilized eggshell fragments associated with the perinatal individuals closely resemble those found from Saurolophus angustirostris relatives in Mongolia, according to the scientists.

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