Over 200 fossilised flying reptile eggs found in China
It is the biggest haul of pterosaur eggs yet found, giving clues as to how the creatures lived during the age of the dinosaurs
Scientists working at a site in northern China have found 215 rare fossil eggs of pterosaurs – flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs.
The fossilised eggs were discovered at a site in a remote desert region in Xinjiang in northwest China.
It is the largest collection of the reptiles’ eggs yet found and will offer a glimpse into how the pterosaurs lived, according to researchers.
Wang Xiaolin, a scientist at the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, has spent over 10 years with his team investigating the area in Hami in Xinjiang.
He told the Chinese news website Thepaper.cn that the area – which he has previously called the Garden of Eden for pterosaurs – is rich in finds.
“[You could] discover one pterosaur in an area of one square metre,” Wang was quoted as saying.