Dinosaur egg nest discovered in Torres Vedras

Researcher Carlos Natário, an associate of the Centre for Research in Palaeobiology and Palaeoecology (Ci2Paleo) of the Torres Vedras Natural History Society (SHN), discovered a nest containing dinosaur eggs from the Late Jurassic period, around 150 million years old.

The discovery was made while the professional was conducting prospecting and monitoring work on palaeontological sites on the cliffs of Santa Cruz Beach, in the municipality of Torres Vedras.

It is a small nest containing, according to preliminary estimates, the remains of 10 eggs.

For Bruno Camilo, director of Ci2Paleo at SHN and PhD student in the Department of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineering at the Instituto Superior Técnico, "it seems clear that almost all the dinosaur hatchlings hatched, as it is evident that the shells migrated from the hatching side back into the eggs, with little lateral dispersion.

However, there may be traces of embryos inside the block, as it is not possible to see a section because it is covered with sediment."

The eggs’ surfaces retain their original shape, and researchers believe most would have hatched.

At first, based on the general egg shape and shell porosity, experts believed they were the offspring of a carnivorous dinosaur.

Initially, the professionals will perform a CT scan to examine the eggs and detect any preserved embryo remnants. ‘New technologies now allow us to see the imperceptible without resorting to potentially destructive techniques. Portugal is one of the few places in the world where dinosaur eggs and nests are found,’ says Bruno Camilo.