Young Quadruped holds keys to Dinosaurus evolution

Young Quadruped Dinosaurus matured into bipeds, Dinosaurus Embryos provide surprising link to dinosaurs evolution.

190 Million year old embryos provide missing link to evolution of dinosaurus. For several years scientists have been finding fossilised
embryos of dinosaurs from 80 million to 100 million years ago. They have now uncovered several 190 million year old dinosaur embryos, the oldest ever found. The discovery was reported in the journal SCIENCE recently by team of paleontologists headed by Robert Reisz of the university of Toronto.

The fossils were actually excavated in 1978 in south Africa, but it has taken this long to expose the embryos from the surrounding rock and eggshell and then interpret the tiny remains. One of the best preserved embryo skeleton was stil curled up in the egg that was less than three inches long. The scientists identified the embryos as belonging to the long necked, short tailed plant eating dinosaur called Massospondylus.

They were relatively common the the area now called south africa in the begining of Jurasic Era. All previous dinosaur embryos have been from the Cretaceous period, which ended 65 million years ago. As adults, these creatures reached lengths of more than 15 feet and were able to walk on 2 legs.

Yet the new research suggested their hatchlings began life moving on all four legs. Dr. Reisz and his colleagues came to this surprising
conclusion from detailed examination of the horizontal neck, heavy head and limb proportions of two well preserved embryo skeletons. This appeared to mean that the young were quadrupeds and somehow matured into bipeds, a pattern of development, they said, that was almost unheard of among vertebrates.

"The results have major implications for our understanding of how these animals grew and evolved," Dr Reisz said.

Original Source : New York Times.