Baby Yingliang

Baby Yingliang is a remarkably preserved fossil of a dinosaur embryo discovered in Ganzhou, southern China. It was discovered in rock layers of the Hekou Formation, which dates to the Late Cretaceous. The embryo belongs to an oviraptorid theropod dinosaur, and the egg is classified as elongatoolithid. The specimen has been described as one of the best dinosaur embryos ever found. The specimen represents a late-stage embryo preserved in a position similar to those of extant birds, and is the first example of this to be found in a non-avian dinosaur. In birds, this behavior is known as "tucking", and is controlled by the central nervous system. This posture places the head below the body with the feet on either side of the head and the back curled, which aids in successful hatching. However, this interpretation of the specimen has been challenged, with some scientists suggesting that it cannot be directly compared to extant birds.

Discovery and description

The egg was discovered in 2000 by the stone mining company Yingliang Group.
The skeleton of Baby Yingliang is approximately from head to tail, and is preserved within the confines of a egg. The skeleton, deposited at the Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum in China, occupies most of the egg's internal space other than a space between the dorsal vertebrae and the blunt pole of the egg. This hollow is thought to be the remains of the egg's air cell, though this inference is unproven.
File:Nesting Nemegtomaia.jpg|thumb|Life restoration of the oviraptorid Nemegtomaia on a nest