Megaloolithus is an oogenus of dinosaur egg.[1] They are thought to have been laid by sauropod dinosaurs. They are known for having thick eggshells, at least 1.5 millimetres (0.059 in) thick, and the nearly spherical shape of the eggs.[2] They are primarily found in India and Europe, but some specimens have been found in South America.[3]
| Megaloolithus Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Megaloolithus at the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle Aix-en-Provence. Eggs of titanosaurid, possibly Hypselosaurus priscus | |
Egg fossil classification 
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| Basic shell type: | †Dinosauroid-spherulitic |
| Oofamily: | †Megaloolithidae |
| Oogenus: | †Megaloolithus Mikhailov, 1991 |
| Oospecies | |
Species edit
- M. aureliensis
- M. baghensis
- M. cylindricus
- M. dhoridungriensis
- M. jabalpurensis
- M. khempurensis
- M. mamillare
- M. megadermus
- M. microtuberculata
- M. mohabeyi
- M. petralta
- M. problematica
- M. siruguei
- M. trempii
- M. patagonicus
Distribution edit
Fossils of Megaloolithus have been found in:[4]
Gallery edit
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Hypselosaurus eggs, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris -
A Hypselosaurus egg (Dinosaurland, Lyme Regis) -
Megaloolithus siruguei of the Tremp Formation
See also edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Megaloolithus.
References edit
- ^ Carpenter, K. 1999. Eggs, Nests, and Baby Dinosaurs: A Look at Dinosaur Reproduction (Life of the Past). Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
- ^ K. E. Mikhailov. 1991. Classification of fossil eggshells of amniotic vertebrates. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 36(2):193-238
- ^ Paleobiology Database
- ^ Megaloolithus at Fossilworks.org
Further reading edit
- Bravo, Ana María; Bernat Vila; Àngel Galobart, and Oriol Oms. 2005. Restos de huevos de dinosaurio en el Cretácico Superior del sinclinal de Vallcebre (Berguedà, provincia de Barcelona) - Remains of dinosaur eggs in the Upper Cretaceous of the Vellcebre syncline (Berguedà, Barcelona province). Revista Española de Paleontología 10. 49–57. Accessed 2018-05-24. (in Spanish)
- Vila, Bernat; Frankie D. Jackson; Josep Fortuny; Albert G. Sellés, and Àngel Galobart. 2010. 3-D Modelling of Megaloolithid Clutches: Insights about Nest Construction and Dinosaur Behaviour. PLoS One 5. 1–13. Accessed 2018-05-24.
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