For years, a peculiar fossil, resembling a deflated American football, sat in a Chilean museum, known only as “The Thing”. This enigmatic object, unearthed in Antarctica, has finally revealed its secrets. After much research, scientists have determined that this fossil is, in fact, a 66-million-year-old soft-shelled egg, offering a fascinating glimpse into the ancient world.
Some estimates also place its age at 68 million years old. This discovery has not only captured the imagination of scientists but has also challenged previous assumptions about the creatures that roamed the Antarctic during the age of the dinosaurs.
The egg, measuring an impressive 29 cm by 20 cm (approximately 11 inches by 8 inches), has earned the title of the largest soft-shelled egg ever found. It is also the second-largest egg of any animal known to date, surpassed only by the eggs of the extinct giant flightless elephant birds of Madagascar. This makes it a significant find in the world of palaeontology. The egg’s appearance is quite distinctive. It is elongated, collapsed, with many creases and folds on its surface, and has a flattened side, which suggests that it came into contact with the sea floor.
The thin and poorly mineralised eggshell is similar to that of lizards and snakes. This contrasts with most dinosaur eggs, which have thicker shells and pores. This difference in shell structure provides a crucial clue about the type of creature that laid this colossal egg. According to scientists, only two types of creatures were large enough to lay such an egg in Antarctica: seagoing marine lizards known as mosasaurs and long-necked plesiosaurs. These creatures lived alongside the dinosaurs, and the discovery of this fossil has challenged the notion that these animals gave birth to live young. The scientists had previously believed that these animals were completely viviparous (meaning giving birth to live young), but this fossil suggests otherwise.
Lucas Legendre, a palaeontologist at the University of Texas, stated, “This new egg is the very first fossil egg from Antarctica, and the largest soft-shelled egg ever discovered”. The egg was discovered in a rock formation alongside several other dinosaur fossils, further solidifying the link to the prehistoric era. Based on studies of 259 types of living reptiles, it is estimated that the mother who laid the egg was at least 23 ft long, excluding her tail. This points to a creature of substantial size that once swam in the Antarctic seas.
The location of the discovery is particularly significant. During the late Cretaceous Period, this part of Antarctica might have served as a nursery. Palaeontologists have found bones of tiny mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, alongside bones of adult specimens in the same area. This suggests that the region may have been a breeding ground for these giant sea creatures.
The unearthing of this 66-million-year-old egg is a testament to the fact that the past still has many secrets to reveal. The fossil has provided scientists with evidence that these creatures laid eggs, changing previous theories. As research continues, more insights will likely be uncovered from this prehistoric puzzle, providing more information about the fascinating creatures that once roamed Antarctica.
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