There’s A Dinosaur In This Egg!

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Adapted from Scholastic News, Maria Jose Serra, Edition 4, January 13, 1995.

Can you imagine looking inside an ancient dinosaur egg? Scientists with the Gobi Desert project can do just that. They found an egg with a dinosaur embryo (EHM-bree-oh) inside. That's a baby dinosaur that never hatched. Scientists have found hundreds of dino eggs, but this one is special. Part of the shell was worn away by weather, so scientists can look inside!

Scientist Mark Norell found the egg near some other eggs. He said the embryo is a meat-eater called an oviraptor (oh-vih-RAP-tor). This is the first time scientists have gotten a good look at a baby meat eater.

The egg gives some exciting new clues about oviraptors. In 1923, the first oviraptor fossil was found. It was near some eggs, so scientists thought the dino had been eating the eggs of another dinosaur. They named the creature oviraptor, or "egg thief."

Now, scientists say that might have been wrong. The egg found in the Gobi Desert looks just like the eggs found in 1923. That means the oviraptor was not eating the eggs of another dinosaur, but was taking care of its own eggs. Now, scientists are trying to figure out if the oviraptor really ate dino eggs at all!

Cretaceous Period
Discusses the dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous Period, as well as the geological events that took place preceding that time.

Dinosaur Evolution
Are any animals of today related to dinosaurs? Scientists answer students' questions.

Dinosaur Books
How accurate are depictions of dinosaurs in books and movies? Scientists answer students' questions.

LESSON PLAN	Dinosaur Skeletons Students learn about dinosaur bones by constructing models out of tongue depressors and tooth picks.
ONLINE ACTIVITY	Darwin: Animals, Adaption, and the Galapagos Islands Watch and learn about Darwin, his journey on the Beagle, and the expert Dr. Niles Eldredge. Continue to leveled activities for different skills...
BOOK INFORMATION	Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones Cam uncovers another exciting mystery when the class visits a museum.