Slow Hatching Of Dinosaur Eggs Could Have Contributed To Their Extinction

Researchers have found evidence that suggests the eggs of non-avian dinosaurs required a longer incubation time than previously estimated. As such, their slower rate of reproduction may have been a factor in their extinction.

Researchers have found evidence that suggests the eggs of non-avian dinosaurs required a longer incubation time than previously estimated. 
As such, their slower rate of reproduction may have been a factor in their extinction.
The team hailing from the University of Calgary, the American Museum of Natural History, and Florida State University came to the conclusion through an examination of two dinosaur embryos. 
Aided by a CT scanner and an advanced microscope, they were able to calculate the developmental stages of each by counting the growth lines in their teeth. 
Those markers indicated their incubation periods lasted from 3 to 6 months, not the 11 to 85 days typically regarded as the standard.
Notably, previous embryonic development periods have been based on the general range for birds, as they are believed to be the most similar.
It appears dinosaur incubation is more akin to that of modern day reptiles.
The longer stretch of time could have played a role in dinosaurs’ failure to thrive in the wake of the extinction event that occurred some 65 million years ago, as they simply could not keep up with the competition from faster-reproducing creatures.