Opening details

Data on Qianlong shouhu species were made available to scientific circulation for the first time in 2023. Its name combines several words: “Qian” is the name of the Guizhou province where fossil remains were found, and “long” can be translated as “dragon”. The species name “Shouhu” comes from the Chinese word meaning “watchman”, as the adults are found on poles near the nests.

Our understanding of dinosaur reproduction in the pre-Cretaceous period is complicated because corresponding fossils have not yet been found. We now have five clutches containing three adult skeletons and eggs containing embryos of a new sauropodomorph. They are located in southwestern China. These Early Jurassic fossils provide compelling evidence for the existence of the oldest known leathery eggs.
– says the article.

The eggs of this species, and possibly those of other early sauropodomorphs, it was leathery, something between soft and hard.

• First, the thickness of the shell compared to the mass of the egg is similar to the shell thickness of other preserved leathery eggs – usually 70-200 micrometers.
• Secondly, the eggs have a sharp edge similar to the edge of a broken shell, as in some leathery turtle eggs. Hard-shelled eggs have similar edges, of course, but scientists say Qianlong shouhu dinosaur eggs are more like leathery ones because they have characteristically sized shell fragments when broken.
• Researchers also say that the surface of the egg appears wrinkled, while its shape is elongated and not as regular as hard-shelled eggs.

Comparison of different types of eggs: a – soft, b and c – leathery, d and e – hard. The shell marked “C” belongs to the Qianlong shouhu dinosaur / Photo: IVPP

The embryos inside the eggs were examined with modern methods, especially computerized tomography. It turns out that cubs have a slightly different skull shape than adults and have fewer teeth. The structure of their upper and lower limbs suggests that Qianlong children walked on four legs, while adults walked on two legs. Adult animals weighed about a ton, and their body size reached six meters.

It is also interesting that the embryos of these dinosaurs preparing to hatch are in a position between the characteristics of baby crocodiles and the characteristics of the chicks hatched.