Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Science. 2017 Dec 1;358(6367):1197-1201. doi: 10.1126/science.aan2329.
Fossil eggs and embryos that provide unique information about the reproduction and early growth of vertebrates are exceedingly rare, particularly for pterosaurs. Here we report on hundreds of three-dimensional (3D) eggs of the species from a Lower Cretaceous site in China, 16 of which contain embryonic remains. Computed tomography scanning, osteohistology, and micropreparation reveal that some bones lack extensive ossification in potentially late-term embryos, suggesting that hatchlings might have been flightless and less precocious than previously assumed. The geological context, including at least four levels with embryos and eggs, indicates that this deposit was formed by a rare combination of events, with storms acting on a nesting ground. This discovery supports colonial nesting behavior and potential nesting site fidelity in the Pterosauria.
提供有关脊椎动物繁殖和早期生长的独特信息的化石蛋和胚胎极为罕见，尤其是翼龙。在这里，我们报告了来自中国白垩纪早期地层的数百个该物种的三维（3D）蛋，其中有 16 个蛋包含胚胎残骸。计算机断层扫描、骨组织学和微制备表明，一些骨骼在潜在的晚期胚胎中缺乏广泛的骨化，这表明幼体可能无法飞行，并且不如以前假设的那样早熟。地质背景包括至少四个具有胚胎和蛋的层位，表明该矿床是由一系列罕见事件共同作用形成的，其中包括风暴对筑巢地的影响。这一发现支持了翼龙的群居筑巢行为和潜在的筑巢地忠诚度。
