Scientists find a perfectly preserved 70-million-year-old dinosaur egg in Argentina

Fun

Express newspaper

23/10/2025 22:45

It looks like it could have been laid yesterday… but believe it or not, this dinosaur egg is 70 million years old.

The ancient egg was discovered in Rio Negro, Patagonia, leaving experts around the world amazed.

Although it looks a lot like an ostrich egg, it is believed to have been laid by a member of the genus Bonapartenykus – a small, carnivorous theropod that roamed this region during the late Cretaceous period.

Although the area has yielded dinosaur eggs before, one so well preserved is rare. According to the team of archaeologists, the egg may also contain embryonic material, and they plan in-depth scans to verify this.

“It was a total surprise,” Gonzalo Muñoz from the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences “Bernardo Rivadavia” told National Geographic.

"It's not rare to find dinosaur fossils, but eggs are much rarer. Especially the eggs of carnivorous dinosaurs."

He explained that the eggs of these dinosaurs are special for several reasons:

There are fewer carnivores than herbivores.

Their eggs are thinner and more delicate, resembling bird eggs, and more susceptible to destruction.

"Finding these eggs is much more difficult. That's why this discovery is so extraordinary and spectacular."

The eggs, along with other finds from the discovery site, will be sent to the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences for further study.

If the scans reveal the presence of an embryo, it would mark one of the most important paleontological achievements in South American history and provide new details on the development and birth of dinosaurs.

The Cretaceous Expedition I has also found mammal teeth and snake vertebrae, indicating that the site was once a dinosaur breeding ground.

A video from the discovery site shows the group's leader, Federico Agnolín, uncovering the egg, which appears to be resting on the dusty ground. His excitement is palpable as he realizes the significance of the well-preserved specimen.

Fragments of broken eggs are also visible nearby, pointing at the camera. According to the Instagram description:

"This could be the first discovery of its kind in South America. As you can see, this fossil is over 70,000,000 years old and it wasn't alone – we found a whole group!" /GazetaExpress/