Dinosaur eggs sometimes hold surprises. In eastern China, two fossil eggs were found in red sandstone layers and later cut open for study. Instead of tiny bones inside, researchers saw hollow spaces lined with clear crystals. The discovery comes from the Upper Cretaceous Chishan Formation in the Qianshan Basin, Anhui Province. The eggs are almost round, measuring about 10 to 13 centimetres in length, with shells up to 2.6 millimetres thick. Their outer shape looks ordinary. Under a microscope, the shell shows clear growth lines and tightly packed structures. Scientists have named them a new oospecies, Shixingoolithus qianshanensis. No embryo remains were preserved. What survived is the shell and the minerals that slowly formed inside after burial.
