Dinosaur egg sites have been documented for many years but not until recently have dinosaur embryos and hatchlings been discovered. Fewer than two-dozen such finds have been made in the whole world, the majority within the past 8 years. Three of the most amazing and inspiring discoveries of dinosaur embryos were made in 1993 by three amateur paleontologists working independently on material found in China and Mongolia. These skillful, self-taught, paleo-technicians expose delicate remains of dinosaur embryos so small that the entire process must be conducted under a microscope.

Terry Manning, of Leicestershire, Great Britain reveals embryonic dinosaur bones and tissues in 75 million year old calcified dinosaur and tortoise eggs from Central China. Using a revolutionary acid-etching technique that he developed, the delicate remains of fossil embryos are exposed by dissolving the surrounding matrix in a weak solution of acetic acid. The specimens are periodically washed and dried, and the exposed fossil material is then impregnated with plastic to preserve it. The technique he developed is so fine in detail that he discovered fossilized soft tissue, including muscle and cartilage, as well as evidence of the insects that fed on the tiny embryonic carcasses.

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Courtesy of StoneCompany.com

3.5 inch round egg etched by Terry Manning

to expose preserved dinosaur embryo.

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Courtesy of StoneCompany.com

Dinosaur egg etched by Terry Manning

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