A soft-shelled egg fossil discovered in Antarctica continues to prompt scientists to reconsider the breeding habits of ancient marine reptiles. The egg, estimated to be 68 million years old and about the size of a football, remains the largest soft-shelled egg ever found.
The findings, which were initially published a few years ago, continue to inspire re-evaluations of the reproductive strategies among prehistoric marine reptiles like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs. Unearthed by a Chilean expedition in 2011, the fossil puzzled scientists for years due to its soft, thin shell, akin to those of modern snakes and lizards, unlike the hard-shelled eggs of dinosaurs.
Measuring approximately 25 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide, the fossil's unique appearance led to the nickname "The Thing." The characteristics of the egg differ from previously identified dinosaur eggs, suggesting a unique method of reproduction among ancient marine reptiles that dominated the oceans during the Late Cretaceous period. The fossil's size and location, along with nearby juvenile mosasaur and plesiosaur bones, suggest the area may have been a marine reptile nursery.