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The October Centenary Objects Exhibition will display dinosaur eggs and embryos
The University of Witwatersrand, or Wits University, has been holding Centenary Objects Exhibitions since February to celebrate 100 years of existence. For one day a month, it showcases a unique item that no one usually gets to see that’s been preserved through time. This weekend on October 22, Dr. Kimi Chapelle will show us dinosaur eggs and embryos that have been fossilized.
It’s bound to be an exciting event, revealing a clutch of Massospondylus carinatus eggs that have been preserved as fossils since the Jurassic period. Being one of the first dinosaurs named by Sir Richard Owen when discovered in South Africa in 1854, it’s one of the rare dino egg collections.
Welcome to the October Centenary Objects Exhibition by Wits University
It’s been 100 years since The University of Witwatersrand was first established by its founders. Since then, it’s collected many special items over the years, and it’s ready to show them to the world. From February to November 2022, it unveiled one item per month. The reason October has caught our interest is that it has to do with fossilized dinosaur eggs and embryos.
What is the Centenary Objects Exhibition?
The Centenary Objects Exhibition celebrates 100 years since The University of Witwatersrand was established in Johannesburg, South Africa. For each month, it will display 1 of 10 items with a lecture from a prominent member of the university. While we may have missed the months before, we certainly caught onto this one.
October features dinosaur eggs and embryos
On Saturday, October 22, 2022, The University of Witwatersrand will display its prized Massospondylus carinatus egg clutch in fossil form. As it goes back to the Early Jurassic period, it’s possibly one of the oldest egg or embryo remains across the world.
The egg clutch was discovered within the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in 1976. It was seen on the side of the road with no one really sure what it was at first. The dinosaur species it belonged to is one of the ancestors of the sauropods in the Saurischian order.
Dr. Kimi Chapelle to host the show
Dr. Kimi Chapelle is a South African member of Wits University who’s a vertebrate paleontologist, specializing in dinosaur development and growth. Her experience extends to the American Museum of Natural History where she finished a Kalbfleisch Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.
With a DSI-NRF GENUS Next Generation Palaeoscientist Grant in her possession at the university, she’s ready to share her knowledge about these fossilized dinosaur embryos and eggs discovered in South Africa. Not only will you learn about them, but she’ll discuss the type of research performed on them.
More details about the event
If you’re interested in the event, there are two tickets you can check out online. The one is for the talk by Dr. Kimi Chapelle while the other is to view the dinosaur eggs on display. The event costs R85 for adults, R65 for university staff or pensioners, and R40 for children or any students at Wits.
Since we’re getting closer to the time of the event, you’ll need to book soon. Dr. Kimi Chapelle will be presenting from 10:00 to 11:00, and then you’ll be able to view the eggs and have discussions with staff until 16:00. The viewing will then close.
Will you be attending the event?
If any of you have attended one of the previous Centenary Objects Exhibitions, please let me know. I would love to hear more from you and perhaps see some images of the events. The dinosaur eggs should be put on a wonderful display, and you’ll learn what the university knows about the species they came from. Also, if you do attend the event this weekend, I would love some shots of the fossils!
