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Mother Lode: Hundreds of Miraculously Intact Pterosaur Eggs Found in China

© REUTERS / Zhao ChuangAn artist’s illustration shows individuals from the fish-eating pterosaur species Hamipterus tianshanensis, including adults, juvenile and eggs in this handout illustration obtained by Reuters November 30, 2017
An artist’s illustration shows individuals from the fish-eating pterosaur species Hamipterus tianshanensis, including adults, juvenile and eggs in this handout illustration obtained by Reuters November 30, 2017 - Sputnik International
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The over 200 preserved pterosaurs eggs unearthed in China, offer new insight into the life of the rulers of the skies in the age of dinosaurs. The findings on the pterosaur species, known as Hamipterus tianshanensis, were published in the journal Science.

The virtual treasure trove of eggs laid millions of years ago, gives scientists a unique chance to cut them into cross-sections to study growth rates.

Even better, 16 of the 215 miraculously preserved eggs found in China’s Turpan-Hami Basin in Xinjiang contain embryonic remains of the pterosaur species, which means that scientists now have more information about how pterosaurs progressed from egg to adult than ever before.

The researchers believe that there could be as many as 300 more eggs within the same sandstone block.

READ MORE: Life Finds a Way: Astronomers Discover 'Dinosaur Eggs' in Nearby Galaxy

Xiaolin Wang, the study’s lead author and a paleontologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, described the site as a sort of “pterosaur Eden.”

​The pterosaurs were flying reptiles that went extinct  about 66 million years ago.

© REUTERS / Alexander Kellner/Museu Naciaonal/UFRJDetail of pterosaur egg specimen, showing eggs and bones in this November 21, 2016 photo taken in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, provided November 30, 2017
Detail of pterosaur egg specimen, showing eggs and bones in this November 21, 2016 photo taken in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, provided November 30, 2017 - Sputnik International
Detail of pterosaur egg specimen, showing eggs and bones in this November 21, 2016 photo taken in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, provided November 30, 2017

Just a handful of pterosaur egg fossils have been discovered to date, and only six have not been completely crushed under  layers of sediment.

READ MORE: Dinosaur Eggs Found in Gobi Desert

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