66-million-year-old fossil egg found in Antarctica may change what we know about sea reptiles
The egg, which was found decades ago on Seymour Island in Antarctica, had puzzled researchers for a long time. It was large, soft-shelled, and oddly deflated, which earned it the nickname 'The Thing' at Chile's National Museum of Natural History, where it was kept. For years, no one knew exactly what it came from. But now, scientists believe it likely belonged to a massive marine reptile– possibly a type of sea lizard or ancient snake– that lived more than 66 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs.
Fossil from the Age of Dinosaurs
The fossil egg– estimated to be between 66 and 68 million years old– was found by a Chilean team in the same rocky area where dinosaur bones had previously been uncovered. It's a big one too. At around 29 by 20 centimeters (roughly 11 by 8 inches), it's now considered the second-largest egg ever discovered. Only the egg of Madagascar's extinct elephant bird– a massive, flightless species– has it beat in size.
'A deflated football' with historical significance
According to Lucas Legendre, a palaeontologist at the University of Texas, 'This new egg is the very first fossil egg from Antarctica, and the largest soft-shelled egg ever discovered.'
He added, 'It is elongated, collapsed, with many creases and folds on its surface. One side is flattened, suggesting this is where it came in contact with the sea floor. Its eggshell is very thin and poorly mineralised, like in the eggs of lizards and snakes.
'
His team's findings were published in the journal Nature, offering new evidence that challenges long-standing beliefs about marine reptile reproduction.
Stored in Chile, studied across continents
Since it was first uncovered, the fossil has been kept at Chile's National Museum of Natural History.
For years, its origin remained a mystery. But after a closer look and detailed analysis, researchers were finally able to trace it back to massive marine reptiles– likely mosasaurs or plesiosaurs– that swam the oceans during the Late Cretaceous period.
Shifting scientific understanding
Until now, scientists had assumed that such marine reptiles were entirely viviparous, meaning they gave birth to live young. However, the discovery of this fossil egg suggests otherwise, indicating that some of these ancient creatures may have laid eggs.
Note:
Images in this article were generated using Canva AI and are for illustrative purposes only.
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