Meat-eating dinosaurs acted like bird's nest

From fossils, US scientists say they have discovered a small North American dinosaur quite similar to birds and has a similar way of hatching birds.

The new discovery, published in the journal Paleobiology, revealed a link in evolution between birds and extinct dinosaurs millions of years ago.

The living animal has the closest connection to the dinosaurs that are crocodiles and birds. Therefore, to find out whether dinosaurs completely buried their eggs in crocodile-like nesting materials, or let eggs show up in parts like brooding birds, researchers. from the University of Calgary and the University of Montana thoroughly examined the fossilized eggshell of small carnivorous dinosaurs called Troodon .

University of Calgary dinosaur researcher
with an egg nest of this species. (Source: huffingtonpost)

Through research, scientists discovered this particular dinosaur placed their eggs almost vertically and buried only the bottom of the egg in the mud.

In addition, Troodon's eggshell is similar to egg-laying birds, suggesting that the animal did not completely bury its eggs under crocodile-like material during hatching.

Scientists know that for all crocodiles and birds that completely cover their eggs to hatch eggs, there are many pores and tiny openings on the shells of the eggs, allowing the process of respiration to take place. out. Unlike eggs that hatch eggs without completely incubating eggs, their eggs have very few air vents on the shell.

The researchers calculated and measured the number of small holes in the Troodon eggshell to assess the amount of water vapor escaping through Troodon's shell compared to the current crocodile and bird eggs. Through eggshells, scientists have shown that Troodon dinosaurs are not completely buried in their eggs, similar to birds.

They appear to be quite optimistic about their method of study because this method can be applied to other dinosaur eggs of fossils, to detect how these eggs have been hatched.

This special study now provides evidence that carnivorous dinosaurs behave like birds and have evolutionary roots before birds. It also adds a very close evolutionary relationship between the two animals.