 Description:
This is a fine example of a dinosaur egg of the Oospecies Ovaoloolithus.
They have been associated with the Segnosaurs, but that is by no
means certain.. Because dinosaur eggs are most often found independent
of the animal that laid them, they are typically given names associated
with their eggshell structure. A few notable exceptions are the
Hadrosaur Maiasaura and the enigmatic dinosaur Oviraptor.. The latter
is a classic example of scientists jumping to conclusions. During
the Central Asiatic Expeditions led by Roy Champan Andrews in the
1920’s, the first dinosaur eggs were discovered. Due to the
fact that the most prevalent dinosaur in the region was Protoceratops,
the scientists thought the eggs were from this taxon. They found
a small unusual dinosaur in association with a nest, and assumed
that this dinosaur was overcome in the act of stealing the eggs.
They gave this dinosaur the name Oviraptor philoceratops (Ceratops-loving
egg thief). During the 1990’s, several expeditions to Mongolia
discovered more examples of this association, and the scientists
came to the conclusion that the Oviraptor was BROODING the eggs
– not a thief, but a devoted parent. China has extensive Mesozoic
continental deposits called “red beds” because of their
color. It is in these beds that the eggs occur, from Shandong Province
in the east to Xinyang Ugur in the west. The eggs are found with
greatest frequency in Shandong, Henan, and Guangdong Provinces.
The mineral component of eggshell is Calcite, which can be seen
here in several areas of this well-preserved egg. It is believed
that these eggshells were laid down through sequential formation
of the membrane and calcareous layers much as in birds. This is
a fine 3-D example what was as many as 10-20 eggs in a full nest.
It is an unhatched egg, as can be seen from viewing all sides. It
has not been X-rayed to determine whether any embryonic material
is contained within.Much of the original eggshell is present, with
some obscured by a small amount of matrix still adhering to the
specimen.
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