A groundbreaking archaeological breakthrough has been made in Guangzhou, the capital of South China’s Guangdong Province. A research team led by esteemed paleontologist Xing Lida has unearthed a series of dinosaur eggshell fossils, including an unprecedented discovery in China – a fossilized crocodilian egg fragment.
This particular specimen, tagged as No.470, was originally about 6 to 7 centimeters in size, according to Guo Zisheng, a researcher involved in the project from the China University of Geosciences (CUG). Until this revelation, fossilized crocodilian eggs had been predominantly found in Europe, South America, and North America, with Pakistan and India being the sole Asian representatives.
“This discovery has widened the geographical range of this type of fossil,” Guo remarked, further highlighting the finding’s implications for understanding the extensive biodiversity of the Sanshui Basin during the Late Cretaceous period.
The Sanshui Basin, a key Mesozoic-Cenozoic intra-continental rift basin in South China, has proven to be a rich repository of prehistoric natural resources. As per paleontologist Xu Xiujun, it has been yielding a wealth of ostracods, fish, and dinosaur fossil remains.
Among the six fossil specimens excavated in Guangzhou, another standout discovery is No.468 – a fossilized eggshell identified as belonging to a troodon, also referred to as the “smartest” dinosaur. This troodon, along with other dinosaur egg fossils, were initially found at various local construction sites in Guangzhou by a high school student, who subsequently donated them to the Grandview Museum of Natural Science. This facilitated the comprehensive investigations conducted by Xing’s team.
Distinguished dinosaur expert, Xu Xing, commented that these findings unveil a unique assembly of troodon, oviraptor, hadrosaurus, and ancient crocodile species in Guangzhou – a combination previously unknown in the region. Given the city’s history as a host to numerous dinosaur species approximately 70 to 90 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous, these recent discoveries further solidify Guangdong’s position as a leading province for unearthing dinosaur egg fossils.
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