The smallest dinosaur eggs have been discovered in China. Who could have laid them? (photos)

In most cases, when talking about dinosaurs, people immediately envision giant reptiles. However, in reality, these animals occupied a vast array of ecological niches and could astonish with their diversity in sizes and shapes. A new discovery confirms this.

The focus is on dinosaur eggs found in China, measuring only 29 millimeters. Scientists shared their findings in the journal Historical Biology.

In fact, the fossils were discovered back in 2021, but specialists could not determine what was supposed to hatch from them until recently. Interestingly, they still cannot definitively identify whose eggs these are, but there are suggestions that they belonged to some unknown species of theropod.

Theropods are a group that includes the most well-known bipedal predators of the ancient world, such as velociraptors, tyrannosaurs, and carnivorans. It is believed that modern birds represent one branch of theropods, making them the only dinosaurs to have survived to this day.

However, scientists say that the shape, thickness of the shell, and other characteristics of these eggs have several unique distinctions, allowing them to confidently state that they were not laid by avian dinosaurs. Moreover, they do not resemble the eggs of other theropods either.

As a result, they have been classified into a new genus called Minioolithus ganzhouensis, which literally translates to "small fossilized eggs from Ganzhou." Currently, it is known that the eggs were laid 80 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period.

Clearly, a long and meticulous effort will be needed to determine the origin of these eggs, but it is already known that there were several candidates in Ganzhou at that time who could be the "lost parents." Among them are several species of bird-like oviraptorids and dromaeosaurids—relatives of the well-known velociraptor.

As is known, one of the smallest dinosaurs—microraptor—originated from China and lived about 50 million years before the eggs were laid. Its main distinguishing feature was the presence of four wings, and scientists have long puzzled over whether they were actually useful for flight.