Lourinhã Museum recently inaugurated a temporary exhibition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the Paimogo dinosaur nest, considered one of the most important paleontological discoveries in Portugal.
Eggs, bones and embryonic teeth are some of the artifacts that will be on public display to mark the occasion when the so-called “Paimogo Nest” was unearthed in 1993.
More than 100 eggs dating from the Upper Jurassic period were discovered embedded in cliffs near Lourinhã, in western central Portugal.
The find remains “one of the most interesting fossil nests known and scientifically studied”, according to Hernâni Mergulhão, president of GEAL – the Lourinhã Ethnology and Archaeology Group that oversaw the original dig.
Also being exhibited are traces of another find, the Porto das Barcas nest. Both nests revealed an abundance of well-preserved embryos of “world importance” and investigators at GEAL employed state-of-the-art technology to study the structure of each egg. Their findings were published in Scientific Reports.
Explanatory notes describing the life cycle and characteristics of the species, belonging to the therapod group of dinosaurs, complement the exhibits.
The exhibition is open daily in August from 10am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 6.30, with guided tours at 11am, 3pm and 5pm.
During September it will be open from Tuesday to Sunday at the same times, with guided tours at 11am and 3pm.
