Well-Preserved Baby Dinosaur Fossil Discovered in Italy

A fossilized baby dinosaur from Italy has proved to be so well-preserved that scientists can see muscle fibers and the intestine, researchers report today in the journal Nature. It is not the first time that fossilized soft tissues have been found in dinosaur specimens, but experts said the degree of preservation is outstanding.

The creature, from a previously unknown species, was a two-legged meat eater that lived about 113 million years ago in what is now southern Italy. Little more than a hatchling, the creature might have measured only about 2 feet long from snout to the tip of its tail when it died. The fossil includes the skull and nearly all the skeleton, though it is missing part of the legs and much of the tail. It is the first dinosaur found in Italy.

Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II