neonatalia
Neonatalia is a term used in paleontology to describe the preserved remains or traces of a very young, recently born, or embryonic animal. These fossils are particularly rare and valuable because the delicate bones and tissues of neonates are much less likely to fossilize than those of mature individuals. The preservation of such specimens often requires specific geological conditions, such as rapid burial in fine-grained sediment, which protects them from decay and scavenging.
The study of neonatalia provides crucial insights into the life stages of extinct organisms. It can reveal
Discoveries of neonatalia are often pivotal in establishing the characteristics of a species in its earliest