How long does a dinosaur egg take to hatch?

The dinosaurs that once dominated the Earth in ancient times are always curious to scientists. Thanks to the dinosaur fossils found, we have a better understanding of their behavior and extinction causes. But almost we don't know anything about the life of dinosaur embryos.

How much time will it take for this giant egg of this giant reptile to hatch into baby dinosaurs? Is it a long time like a crocodile, a lizard or just a short time like a bird?

Based on fossil embryo samples and the most modern technology today, scientists from the University of Florida State of America have determined the hatching time of a dinosaur egg.

Scientists carried out a tomography scan of fossilized embryos of two dinosaurs of opposite sizes. Then study under a super modern microscope to learn about their tooth formation.

1. The Protoceratops species is about the size of a duck with eggs weighing only about 194 grams.
2. Hypacrosaurus has eggs weighing up to 4kg.

Species Protoceratops

HyLpacrosaurus species

The results show that, during the development process, each day, different circles appear on the teeth. Thus, scientists have determined the age of the embryo and the hatching time of Protoceratops is 3 months while in Hypacrosaurus species it is 6 months.

This study has shown the development of dinosaur eggs closer to reptiles than birds.

Hypothesis of the migration of dinosaurs was rejected

Embryonic studies have also raised objections to the previously proposed hypothesis of the migration of dinosaurs: dinosaurs undergo polar summer and winter in southern Canada.

According to this new study, dinosaurs take a long time to hatch, waiting for the young adult to migrate, so the journey cannot be done.

Cause of the extinction of dinosaurs

Because of the long period of incubation and the young needing more than a year to mature, dinosaurs are more disadvantaged than amphibians, mammals, birds or other reptiles that survive the great extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.