Archaeologists stumble upon a prehistoric egg and still don’t know what’s inside: “We could see an unknown lineage”

Three paleontologists have discovered a dinosaur egg during an excavation in Río Negro, Argentina. The moment was captured on video, which has since been shared around the world.

The excavation took place in Argentine Patagonia—one of the most complete windows into the world before the extinction of the dinosaurs—and forms part of the Cretaceous Expedition I, conducted by Argentina’s National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) with support from the Azara Foundation and the National Geographic Society.

The scientists’ reaction upon uncovering the egg quickly became the most widely circulated aspect of the excavation. “It was a complete and utter surprise,” said researcher Gonzalo Muñoz in an interview with National Geographic. “It’s not common to find the egg of a possible carnivorous dinosaur, much less in that state. The happiness was spectacular for the entire team.”

What makes this discovery special?

Although Patagonia is known for frequent fossil finds, discovering dinosaur eggs is far rarer—especially those belonging to carnivorous species. “They’re much more delicate eggs, with thinner shells that are more likely to be destroyed,” explained Muñoz.

Even more exciting is the possibility that the egg may contain an embryo, which would make it truly exceptional. Scientists have not yet confirmed the presence of an embryo, but if preserved, it could point to the existence of an unknown lineage. Further analysis using microtomography and CT scans will be needed to uncover more details.

Another remarkable aspect of the find was how it was shared with the public. The researchers live-streamed the excavation process in its entirety. “At first, we thought people wouldn’t be interested because the materials were so small and fragile—mammal teeth, snake vertebrae—but the response was incredibly positive, full of encouraging and beautiful messages,” said Muñoz.

Argentina ranks third in the world for the number of known dinosaur species, behind only China and the United States. This makes it one of the leading countries in vertebrate paleontology. The pioneering work of José Bonaparte during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s was especially influential—he discovered and named famous dinosaurs such as Carnotaurus and trained many of today’s Argentine paleontologists, who carry forward his guiding principle: “What is found here is studied here.”

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The research team has announced that the fossils will be transferred to the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences for study and preparation. Once that process is complete, they will be returned to their home province of Río Negro, where they will be displayed at the Patagonian Museum.

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