Scientists uncover oldest example of shared prehistoric nests
A global research team, including scientists from the University of Southampton, has identified a Romanian fossilised nesting site as the earliest known example of co-habiting between multiple animals.
The research examined electron microscope images of fossilised material to establish that four different types of egg shell all shared the same nesting site.
The samples, which were discovered near the city of Sebeş in Transylvania, date back approximately 70 million years to the late-Cretaceous period.
Christian Laurent, a Tizard Scholar and member of Southampton’s Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics Group, was a key member of the team that has published its findings in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.
Their paper speculates that an area of plain created by seasonal flooding offered enantiornithes – a form of flying dinosaur - safety from predators, while also affording shelter to smaller reptiles which benefitted from the security of the birds guarding their own nests.