New fossil display: The days of dinosaurs (1 May to 30 June)

April 30, 2008

In the ongoing quest to reveal the secrets of our past, Maropeng will once again be showcasing the world’s oldest dinosaur eggs.

The 190-million-year-old fossilised eggs, on loan from the Bernard Price Institute, belong to the Massospondylus carinatus species of dinosaurs, from the Early Jurassic period. The clutch of seven eggs was discovered in 1976 by the late Professor James Kitching in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The embedded embryonic bones were so fragile that they had to wait for somebody with the necessary skills to prepare the eggs for further study.

In 2000, the eggs were taken to Canada, where Diane Scott of the University of Toronto was able to do the painstaking preparation. The project team from the University of Witwatersrand and the University of Toronto were then able to study the embryos and reconstruct what the dinosaurs may have looked like, as juveniles and as adults.

At birth the Massospondylus had long forelimbs and a huge head, and developed from an ungainly quadruped to a long-necked, small-headed dinosaur with a massive thick tail, short forelimbs and long hindlimbs. It was discovered that the lower jaws of two of the embryos on the point of hatching had empty teeth sockets, indicating that parents fed their young. This discovery was to become one of the oldest known examples of parental care.

With South Africans honouring their parents in May and June on Mother’s Day (11 May) and Father’s Day (08 June), the new fossil display serves as an apt reminder that parents will always be crucial for our survival. Entrance to the display is included in the entrance fee for the visitor centre at Maropeng.

News comments powered by Disqus