Oldest Dinosaur Nursery Discovered in South Africa

The oldest known dinosaur nesting site has been uncovered by paleontologists in South Africa’s Golden Gate Highlands National Park.

Dating to 190 million years ago, the dino nursery is said to contain multiple nests, eggs, hatchlings and the remains of adults of the Massospondylus species. These herbivores were related to the more widely known Sauropod, and walked on their hind legs (though babies moved about on all fours initially).

Project leader Robert Reisz told LiveScience:

“The transition from four legs to two during an individual’s lifetime is a very unusual growth pattern that we rarely see in animals, but we do see it in humans. The largest articulated skeleton of this animal was about 6 meters (19.7 feet) in length, but they probably grew even larger.”

The discovery of the nesting site is the oldest evidence to date for a rigidly organized nest. Reisz described how the eggs were laid out carefully in a single layer:

“The nests seem to be fairly shallow because all the eggs are in one layer. We do not know if the nests were covered by vegetation or if they were buried because the nature of the sediments preclude the preservation of plant fossil remains. It is quite possible that the mother guarded the nests.”

Researchers have located ten dinosaur nests at the site so far, but anticipate they will find many more embedded within the South African cliff. It is believed Massospondylus would lay as many as 35 eggs at a time, a survival strategy due to the high number of meat-eating predators that stalked the region at the time.

[Via LiveScience]