The remains of a few centimeters, oval-shaped eggshells with a peculiar surface were found at the excavations at Iharkút and are thought to come from a small predatory dinosaur.
Dinosaur eggs have never been found in Hungary – until now. Some years ago researchers working at the Iharkút excavations succeed and now it is proven. The first Hungarian dinosaur egg was identified by the versatile examination of some few millimeters small, 85 million-year-old eggshell fragments – said biologist Edina Prondvai, a member of the Paleontological Research Group of MTA-MTM-ELTE to MTI.
The biologist added that the shell fragments had been known for a couple of years, but it was possible to definitively prove the origin of the maniraptor dinosaur only this year with crystal structure studies performed on eggshells in collaboration with a South Korean research team.
The discovery is special because it originally studied the eggshell to prove that the eggshell will bear no resemblance to the eggshell structure of dinosaurs but of geckos today. But surprisingly, the first results confirmed the original suggestion of Hungarian researchers that the eggshells of Iharkút are nothing but the remains of raptor eggs.
"The identified egg residue is not only the first Hungarian fossil dino egg, but also the first egg representing this type of eggshell in the whole Europe, and even, to the best of our knowledge, in the world,"- emphasized the biologist to MTI.
The first Hungarian dinosaur egg will be on display as part of the permanent exhibition of the Hungarian Museum of Natural History.
